Concert Diaries Chapter 21 ~ Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt

My favorite singer covers a beautiful song written by John Hiatt.  It's called Angel Eyes and it's about the most romantic song I've ever heard.  It's also been my introduction to the music of John Hiatt, a legendary singer-songwriter whom I'd never heard of before listening to Gavin DeGraw (again, you say? Yes, again; I've learned so much from his recommendations.)

MPAC before recent additions to
the front facade.

John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett appeared in an acoustic concert together at Morristown's Mayo Center for the Performing Arts.  This theater has an interesting history having started it's life in 1937 as a beautiful movie palace--you know, the kind with a balconey.*  It's where the first love of my life nearly twisted my arm off in high school.  We'd gone to see the Towering Inferno and he was studying architecture at the time.  (Shortly after that, I think I nearly yanked his off while watching Jaws.)   It's where I was stunned for days and impressed for the rest of my life by The Killing Fields.  After large movie houses could no longer compete with newer multiplex cinemas, it was boarded up and fell into disrepair for decades.  A group of dedicated citizens fought hard to reclaim the theater and reopen it for the local performing arts.   It is now, once again, an integral part of the community.

Two comfy chairs were set out on the stage with two guitars each at their sides.  Lyle and John took the stage together and traded songs and stories back and forth all evening long and occasionally joining in on one another's numbers.  It was like being invited to one of their homes and hanging out in the living room while two masters do what they do.  

I was unable to take notes as I normally do.  In this quiet, dark setting, note taking on my phone would have been unnecessarily disturbing to those around me.  I didn't take any pictures for the same reason.  I'm left, therefore, several days later with only impressions of a lovely evening that seemed to go by all too quickly.  Their obvious friendship and admiration for each other's talents provided the perfect backdrop to amazing guitar playing and each of their unique song stylings.  They each have voices that are not typical for singers and are formidable pickers.  I was mesmerized by the complexity of what they were able to do with those instruments.  Despite the fact that John Hiatt did not sing the song that I'd come to hear, it was a beautiful night of music in a space that holds many fond memories for me.

~~~~~

* The story of  Morristown's Community Theatre was chronicled by the late famed New Jersey historian John T. Cunningham in his book, The Miracle on South Street, published in 2000.  

• Angel Eyes by John Hiatt
• Angel Eyes was a huge hit for the Jeff Healey Band (Jeff Healey, a Canadian musician who died from cancer in 2008, was blind and played the guitar by laying it flat in his lap.)
• He doesn't sing this out on the road very often any more but I was in the audience for this acoustic performance and I'll never forget it.  Gavin DeGraw, Angel Eyes, Utica, NY, October, 2012 (Special thanks to Jen for capturing this moment.)