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Concert review: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
Submitted by Michael Deeds on Wed, 07/23/2008 - 12:36pm.
It was appropriate that singer Lyle Lovett brought His Large Band to the Idaho Botanical Garden on Tuesday, because Boise simultaneously discovered Its Large Outdoor Venue.
The sold-out audience of 2,800 was a test for the Garden’s inaugural “Outlaw Field Summer Concert Series”; it was the biggest crowd this season. Wrinkles still need to be ironed out — particularly hustling fans into the show more efficiently — but the scenic, sloped lawn comfortably could have handled 3,000. That’s not quite large by traditional outdoor venue standards, but plenty vast for many acts in today’s smaller-draw music industry.
Afternoon rain had soaked the grass, so low-backed chairs were a must. Fans hurriedly hauled them into the show; slow-moving lines kept many outside even when Lovett took the stage 15 minutes late. More horrifying, an incoming storm threatened to end the night as quickly as it had started. Blustery winds whipped Lovett’s famous coif, and workers struggled to hold down a canopy on stage. But the threatening clouds soon passed, everyone got seated, and Lovett settled in for more than two hours of quality outdoor entertainment.
Lovett wasn’t kidding about His Large Band. Three buses and two semi trailers underscored the quantity of musicians scattered on stage. They included a trio of deep-voiced backing singers who added oomph to the upbeat new song “Make It Happy" from Lovett's latest CD, "It's Not Big It's Large."
Wearing a light-colored suit, Lovett strummed a guitar and showcased his supple voice, which is strikingly versatile. Lovett is sometimes labeled a country singer (hence the “Wow 104.3 FM” radio station parked outside the venue), but he and his group of crack players plowed through a rich mixture of pop, soul, gospel — and, yes, some (often ironic) country.
Pedal steel and fiddle added twang to Lovett’s big-band sound, but there was a sly wink in plenty of his Western references — sometimes in the arrangements themselves, as when his singers boomed through “Cowboy Man” or repeatedly chimed in, “He rides from Texas on a big white horse!” during “Long Tall Texan.”
Lovett hit his stride with gems such as “If I Had a Boat,” which was guided by a romantic acoustic guitar melody. Fans roared with glee after he delivered Tonto’s “kiss my ass!” line. When it was released in 1987, “She’s No Lady” drew a few misguided protests of misogyny, but it hit the bullseye with this crowd; three women giddily began dancing in front of the stage until they got chased off. (Dancing in front didn’t seem to be allowed.)
The concert’s gratuitous length must have pleased diehards, even if it would have benefited from a short intermission. Casual listeners probably faded when Lovett slowed things down, but the voice of God re-energized the evening like a lightning bolt. Lovett welcomed a backing choir from the local Agape Christian church on stage twice, most significantly for a show-ending charge of music.
Lovett’s performance was another fun memory for the concert-ticket scrapbook, even if some fans are probably grumpy about the slow entry or other fixable organizational glitches. Either way, Boise needs the Idaho Botanical Garden in the concert business. It’s a void begging to be filled in this city ever since music stopped taking place at Sandy Point Beach below Lucky Peak Dam years ago.
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Outlaw Field organizers have work to do
Yes, the concert was fantastic. Lyle, the band, the vocalists, and the guest choir were great.
I object to the term 'wrinkles' to describe how people had to stand in line for an hour or more just to get into the show. That's not a mere wrinkle to be ironed out. That is a sign of a shoddy operation. This is 2008; we can do better. Not all of us got to avoid the lines and stroll to the front by virtue of the 'guest list', as I saw Mr. Deeds do. The fact that the show started late and people were still out lined up outside the gate is further proof that the concert organizers screwed up.
The 'shuttle' was a joke as well. Whoever thought of lining up two of the smallest buses in Ada County to get people in and out of the 'venue' deserves a special prize.
If you're going to another 'Outlaw Field' show, park onsite and get there 1.5 hours early.
Agreed
"Wrinkles" is an understatement to say the least. Another thing is that the venue has set a precident in the past by allowing folks to bring their own booze into the Thursday night concerts and this is not the case for these shows. Two thoughts on this - either charge a higher ticket price and allow folks to bring their own booze into the venue (this will also alleviate the time consuming searches at the ticketing stations and maybe even get everyone seated before the show they paid to see starts). The second is if booze is not allowed - it needs to be made CLEAR on the website - the ticket says beer and wine with id - what the hell does that mean? You can bring it in with your id? You can't, but you can buy it there with your id!
Was an absolute joke. If you're going to be charging 40 bucks for ticket - get yourselves together and conduct yourselves in professional manner that reflects an organized event.
I guess size does matter
A month ago the Rat/Mule (Ratdog, Government Mule) show was almost perfect but there were about 800 less people, I guess lucky us. Me thinks the Knitting Factory should be all over this perception of marginal venue staging and prep since it's largely in their control. Oh, only one thing screwed up the June 23rd Ratdog/Government Mule show was the noise 10pm curfew, the last note from Bob Weir's vocal chords occurred at 9:59:59 pm mdt. Thanks ADA county for being so inflexible - you do hurt the Boise music scene.
PPPP
Howdy Neighbors... While we're makin a fast buck hope you don't mind if you can't drive on your own street to get home... til we are all at the venue and oh by the way... we are gonna park using every available space from the old pen to M&W Market. We don't really care if you desire parking by your home we will be out in say... 3 to 4 hours.
Organizers... You suck!!! Venue + adequate parking + a few prior planning issues resolved might smooth your patrons over and also win acceptance from those of us who live nearby.
Better luck next time.
Perhaps a little courtesy could be employed next time...
Lacking some journalistic integrity!
I think "Wrinkles" pretty much wipes away any credit the reviewer has....you obviously were not in the line with the rest of us for, yes, over an hour. The line outside led straight to the line inside for drinks. The complete lack of organization looming over the entire evening was only partly overshadowed because Lyle is an incredible performer and entertainer. You can't expect to retain great acts and grow an audience if you can't handle 2,500 people. I was shocked to learn how low the actual number was...it felt like a million. I don't know who the reviewer knows at the Botanical Gardens that they are trying to protect but Come On...get it right!
You didn't have a job to do there, now kindly shut up.
Don't twit, Conway.