Lyle Lovett & His Large Band w/ Emmylou Harris -- Wolf Trap, 8/12/2016

Row H, Seats 46-48

 

Lyle Lovett & His Large Band somehow managed to be hotter than the sweltering weather Friday evening; despite the short (for them) two-hour set length, it may have been the strongest performance I’ve seen from them yet. They leaned into the gospel side of Lyle’s repertoire more heavily than in some past shows, as this summer he’s featuring local gospel choirs as part of his shows. Tonight it was members of the Morgan State University Choir, who shone at both the beginning of the show (“I’m a Soldier in the Army of the Lord”, “Church”, “I Will Rise Up”) and the end (“I’m Going to Wait”, “Praise the Lord”, and the sublime encore “Pass Me Not O Savior”). The other main theme was paying tribute to Texas singer/songwriter Guy Clark, who died in May. Lovett performed a heartfelt version of Clark’s “Step Inside This House” and brought opening act Emmylou Harris back on stage to duet on “Anyhow I Love You”; she had provided harmony vocals on Clark’s recording. Emmylou stayed for “Walk Through the Bottomland”, reprising her vocals from Lyle’s second album.

 

Naturally, Lyle also included some of his other favorites, such as “If I Had a Boat”, “Penguins”, and “I Know You Know”.

 

Lovett’s shows certainly aren’t just about the music. He called out his musicians a few at a time, generally with an anecdote or two about each one. He also included a number of personal stories featuring his dry sense of humor. If there was a general theme, it was Lovett thanking various folks who had helped him out along the way. He comes across as a genuinely nice guy, and given the length of time many of his bandmates have been working with him (one as far back as 1979), I have to assume it’s an accurate portrait.

 

Emmylou Harris, along with three bandmates, got the evening off to a nice start with a one-hour opening set. Highlights included “Red Dirt Girl”, her cover of Paul Simon’s “The Boxer”, and the final two songs, “After the Gold Rush” and “Boulder to Birmingham”. Clearly her presence significantly boosted sales; the house was full, which was definitely not the case the last couple times Lovett played without an opener. (The $55 ticket price was also remarkably reasonable, given that two well-known performers were featured.)