PATTY LOVELESS CONCERT 8-31-03
Webster, MA
Review by Barbara, Pictures by Bob J.
Let me set the scene for you. A perfect New England day; sunny, 70s, cool breeze. The venue: Indian Ranch in Webster, Massachusetts. A large lake glistens to the left of the stage and seating area. You get extra points for correctly pronouncing the name of the lake: Chargoggagoggmanchaugagoggchaubunagungamaugg. Weíre told that this Indian name translates as follows: ëYou fish on your side, I fish on my side, nobody fish in the middleí. Bob and I arrived on our Harley, and of course we had a Patty CD playing all the way there!

At exactly 3:15 Patty stepped onstage. She was wearing bleached jeans, a red sheer top under a jean jacket which was adorned with a red flower on the back; silver hoop earrings; a cross on a cord, and what looked like pale pink boots. Her blonde hair swung freely as she moved about the stage. This was the most relaxed, upbeat, energetic Patty that Iíve seen; she looked very trim and was in excellent voice. She opened with ìNothiní Like the Lonely (In My Heart Tonight)î, followed by ìHeís the Last Thing On My Mindî. She spoke about how happy she was to see the parents of a former band member before the show, and with a big smile promised to tell them several stories about their son afterward. Her next song was ìTimber, Iím Falling In Loveî, then the beautiful ìDonít Toss Us Awayî. She introduced Travis Toy on steel guitar, and pointed out a person in the audience who resembled Travis. Garry Murray did the George Jones part on ìYou Donít Seem To Miss Meí. Next came ìYou Can Feel Badî. Patty then took a moment to pick up her gifts, a bag and some lovely flowers which she said ëwill make the bus smell so niceí. She had some fun with pretending to misread an eighth birthday as 84, telling the young girl (Kylie?) that she sure looked good for 84! Patty introduced Jedd Hughes on electric guitar, who has a record deal with MCA and will have an album coming out in February 2004. Itís Jeddís second year with Patty. The upbeat ìHalfway Downî had us clapping along. Patty then introduced the entire band; Loretta on fiddle and mandolin; Becky Priest on acoustic guitar, keyboard, mandolin, vocals, and mentioned that Becky has a deal with Curb records. She had a lot of fun introducing Jimmy Johnson on bass (I could never forget his name, as Iím a big Dallas Cowboys fan!!) and Martin Parker on drums. Pattyís new album will be out September 16th, and she sang the title cut, ìOn Your Way Homeî, a beautiful ballad from a wife to her cheating husband.

Next was ìLoviní All Nightî, a Rodney Crowell song which Patty and Rodney sang onstage in the Down From the Mountain tour. Patty mentioned Rodneyís new album, titled ìFaithís Right Handî. She talked about her Mountain Soul album, which led into ìThe Boys Are Back In Towní with Travis on dobro and Loretta and Garry on fiddles. One of my favorite Patty songs was next, ìCheap Whiskeyî. Becky and Jedd did a great job with Patty on ìDaniel Prayedî. Patty then spoke about her father, a coal miner for 28 years, who died of black lung disease. She said she always sends this next song out to him, John Ramey, and her other family members who were miners. She feels they have the best seat in the house. Of course the song was the haunting ìYouíll Never Leave Harlan Aliveî. I believe she was very surprised at the standing ovation she received. She thanked us and said the song means a lot to her and her whole family, Changing the mood entirely, Patty opened ìPretty Little Missî with a looooooooooong note!!! Shifting to a slower tempo, she broke my heart again with ìHere I Amî. Every time she sings that song I can feel the raw emotion in her voice just reach out and touch me. She taught us the tongue-twisting ìBlame It On Your Heartî and had us all on our feet singing along. We did pretty well with our line in ìI Try To Think About Elvisî, yelling out ëCome on, Patty, get it together!í at the appropriate moment. This was the last song of the regular set, but we were all on our feet, clapping, stomping, and making a big bunch of noise. When they came back out, Patty said with a smile, ëYou donít give up, do you?í and launched into ìThe Trouble With the Truthî. I think she had no doubt, from the response she got, that she has a strong fan base in New England.

After the show we waited by her bus, and were fortunate to meet Cindy and her daughter and had a nice chat. Bob had gone back to see if Patty was still in the pavilion, and came back to report that there was a meet and greet going on. Wish we knew how to get a pass to that! Apparently you have to know someone in the band, or be in the right place at the right time. So, a fortunate few got to see Patty. We continued to wait at the bus with a small crowd of hopefuls. All of the band members graciously shook hands, signed autographs, and talked with the fans. I especially noticed how nice Becky was with some special people. Eventually Patty walked up the incline to the bus, and was nice enough to come over and explain that she couldnít sign because they had to be in Maine and had to leave, but she shook hands with everyone. A really classy lady!

This was one of our best Patty concerts ever. Of course, so far the best one is still New Haven, CT two years ago, when there was no opening act, just pure Patty Loveless all evening, and we got to meet her later. However, we never get upset if Patty or any other artist doesnít meet with us. We feel that what we pay for is an artist giving their best on stage. We understand that they have commitments to fulfill, are human and just plain get tired, and they are entitled to privacy offstage. Patty Loveless never gives less than everything she has when she performs, and we are grateful that she shares her awesome talent with us. Go Patty, and you already are our female vocalist of EVERY year!!!