Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt THE EGG 1/25/2011

- January 26, 2011

Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt
The Egg, Albany NY
January 25, 2011
Nancy Nutile-McMenemy, Photographer
SOLD OUT

We saw them in Boston (twice), Portland and Northampton, last night we finished our run with Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt at The Egg in Albany NY, January 25, 2011. We were among the lucky 980 folks from the capital region to grab a ticket to this SOLD OUT show. The show started about 20 minutes late (folks were having a time parking and riding the elevators) but it was worth the wait.

Enter Lyle and John, they welcomed the crowd and thanked The Egg for having them back to this "wonderful" theater, they were through last time in 2008. Lovett and Hiatt joked "All the other Eggs around the country have collapsed but this one looks shipshape" so we should all be OK. Lovett continued "we live in the future, (and) no better place to navigate (the future) than in the egg."

Hiatt opened the show with "My Old Friend", followed by Lovett's "Private Conversations" after which Hiatt said "So nice to hear 'Private Conversations', you're always surprising me." Lovett's response "Sitting up here with you (every night) makes me play songs I wouldn't otherwise play."

The two reminisced about their early careers, with Lovett remembering the first time he say Hiatt, January 31, 1981 in Ry Cooder's band. He teased Hiatt about when they have a big tour there are people on the sides of the stage and backstage but on this tour there is no one--Hiatt was asking the monitor tech for less guitar, Lovett kept at him--"there's no one there."

Lovett prefaced "Record Lady" by taking the audience back to a time when he hung out with Robert Earl Keen, saying Keen's house was like a frat house for bluegrass guys "Phi Beta Capo". He closed the song by telling the audience and Hiatt that he bought a lot of records at "Budget Records" because he had a crush on a girl who worked there. "My record collection lasted a lot longer than my relationship with her would have." This got a round of applause from the crowd.

The two clearly enjoy being on stage together and at least this reporter hopes they continue to tour together. Five great shows in the books and waiting for the next tour--two years will be a tough wait.

Setlist 1/25/2011

Hiatt/Lovett

My old friend/Private conversation

Howlin’ down the Cumberland/Walk through the bottomland

Drive South/LA County

Open Road/Road to Ensenada

My Baby/Creeps like me

One wicked grin/Record lady

Master of Disaster/Cowboy Man

Crossing muddy waters/Fiona

TN plates/If I had a boat

Thing called love/Choke my chicken

Encore: