Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 1, 1993 TAG: 9303010033
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SMALL BAND DOES JUST FINE FOR LYLE LOVETT
Nobody seemed to miss the Large Band.Not Lyle Lovett. Not the acoustic quartet he carried with him into the Roanoke Civic Center auditorium Saturday night.
And certainly not the 1,432 people who were treated to Lovett's rollicking road show.
Lovett, his quartet - cello, bass, congas and guitar - and the audience all seemed to have a blast.
Even with pared-down arrangements and a 90-minute set heavy on his slower and mid-tempo numbers, Lovett was never boring. In fact, the looser interplay between the singer/guitarist and this smaller outfit more than made up for the lost punch of Lovett's Large Band - he usually is backed by about a dozen players.
Lovett's between-song banter, frequent pregnant pauses and guitar tuning didn't slow things down too much either. Lovett was almost as entertaining when he joked with the audience as he was when singing.
He was just plain funny.
A typical exchange: "Lyle!" someone in the crowd yelled. Lovett paused and then deadpanned, "I'd say that's a pretty safe assumption."
He had people chuckling as he sipped thoughtfully from a drink, perhaps in anticipation that he would follow with something silly.
Musically, Lovett and band couldn't have been more crisp, clear or clean. Every note hit right on the mark. None sounded muddy. Nobody got lost in the mix.
Especially impressive was cellist John Hagen. His Eddie Van Halen-like cello solo on "Church" was a big crowd-pleaser.
Mostly, however, the attention stayed on Lovett, who held the stage with a riveting vocal performance that showcased his talent and ease at blending together country, ragtime, swing and gospel into a sound that's uniquely his own.
Highlights included, "She's Hot to Go (She's Ready)," "She's No Lady," "Church," "L.A. County" and "You Can Have My Girl (But Don't Touch My Hat)."
But honestly, just about every song was a toe-tapper.
And what about the Large Band? Not to worry. Lovett said he'll have it back in tow this summer. But for now, he is enjoying the small group.
A Lovett favorite, Willis Ramsey, opened the show with a one-man set of acoustic blues. Compared to Lovett, though, Ramsey had the stage presence of a cardboard box.
Final hair note: Lovett's towering pompadour was as tall as ever. But does he ever wear that cowboy hat he carried with him on- and offstage?
Or was that just part of the joke?