When you think of the upcoming concert by Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, think “perfection.” At least that’s what critics, including Rose Colucci at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, are reporting in their reviews of Lovett, his 15-piece band and the almost 30-song sets delivered.
“One thing I enjoy about playing with the band is not only being able to present my songs in that way, but also be able to highlight the players,” Lovett told Bill Thompson of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I get to work with such extraordinary musicians. Always my objective in a show with the band is to have the audience feel as though it has gotten to know every single person in the band by the end of the show.”
| Onstage |
| Lyle Lovett |
| When: 8 p.m. Tuesday |
| Where: Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Art, Filene Center, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna |
| Info: $25-$42; 1-877-WOLFTRAP; wolftrap.org |
For the last few years Lovett has been alternating Large Band tours with acoustic shows teaming him with John Hiatt as well as larger songwriter circles also featuring long-time friends Hiatt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely. Now he’s back with the Large Band touring behind his last release “Natural Forces.”
Not that Lovett needs a new album to tour. The multi-Grammy Award winner makes every song — whether it’s Tammy Wynette’s classic “Stand By Your Man,” to Buddy Holly’s “Well All Right” — his own.
“Change is always good for me, change is always interesting,” he said. “It gives me a chance to really focus on different aspects of the songs. A song has to hold up in a stripped-down way … exist in its most basic form, and communicate something in even its simplest presentation for it to hold up in a more embellished form [with the band].”
Lovett seems to go extra steps to boost his creative arsenal. Consider that he’s appeared in 13 feature films including “The Player” and “Dr. T and the Women.” More recently he appeared a supporting role for “When Angels Sing” starring Harry Connick Jr.
He also taped the final”Austin City Limits”episode done in the legendary Studio 6A, visited policymakers on Capitol Hill and performed at the Library of Congress during ASCAP’s “We Write the Songs” event. That’s just for starters.
But don’t expect any of those side projects to lure Lovett away from concerts.
“Playing music is something that I’ve always said I would do for fun even if I wasn’t able to do it for a living,” he said. “I can’t imagine ever wanting to stop playing.”
