Shyrock Auditorium
Carbondale,IL
June 6th, 2004
Review By: Cole
This was probably the most "spur of the moment" Patty show I've ever attended. Friday I got a call from a friend about going to the show, and the next thing I knew- I was planning on leaving the next day to see her!
The only flaw with this plan was my car was at the moment "not running", and my brother in law was planning on fixing it that day! I managed to adjust the schedule to have him fix it as soon as he got home- but he finished a little late. I didn't get on the road to Illinois until after 4:00- I was fretting!
I thought that I was doing semi decent on time, but checked with my friend at the show to see if Patty was onstage. I was informed she was on her second song, so in true "Cole Fashion"- I punched it, eager to get there., not caring how fast I had to go. That is, until I saw the blue lights flashing behind me! I had been so eager- I didn't even pay attention to my speed and was going 95 in a 65. Luckily for me, this Illinois Officer had compassion and felt bad once I started to cry and informed him where I was headed- and he let me go without a ticket! Thank god for Compassionate Patty Fans, eh?
Needless to say, I arrived late. Patty was starting her Bluegrass Segment when I raced into the show. Bummer I missed the great ones like "Draggin My Heart Around", but I was just thrilled to see her, and this
is Patty Loveless we're talking about- she could have been singing the ABC'S and I would have felt that it was worth the trip! Anyhow, I arrived when Patty was starting "The Boys are Back in Town", and she sounded superb! This venue was fantastic, I thought. It was a small venue on a college campus, and when I walked into the doors at the back of the auditorium, I was taken aback at how small it was! The sound was fantastic in this auditorium. The audience, however, at the time of my arrival, was not. After "Boys", she kicked into "I'll Never Grow Tired of You", which sounded the best I've ever heard it so far this summer. The audience around me just seemed to sit there. I had two folks in my row cheering along with me, and one lady behind me doing the same.
This didn't stop Patty from putting on a marvelous performance. If you ask me, Patty gets better with each show. She gives her all, regardless of the audience. Towards the end of the show, the audience started to give her more feedback and seemed to appreciate what she was doing. They were more than thoroughly impressed with "On Your Way Home", which again, sounded better than any time I've heard her do it this summer. I could go on about how great she sounded this night, but I feel that I might run out of adjectives to describe her!
She seemed pretty energetic, and was all over the stage during "Lovin All Night"- and it was one song the audience roared for. Everyone instantly recognized it and were cheering for her, which pleased her to no end. After LAN, she ended the show with "Blame It On Your Heart", which got most people on their feet to cheer and sing along with. She definitely had the great audience participation during that one. After she was done- the audience stood and clapped and clapped, anxiously waiting for her to come out- and they roared the instant she walked back out for her encore!
The encore was the highlight of the show for me! To my surprise, the band started into "She Drew a Broken Heart", which is something I'd not heard since 1998! A few people around me were puzzled as to what the song was, but they seemed to enjoy it. The true Patty Fans around were shocked but delighted to hear her do it. I was also truly impressed with the band's performance on the tune. The only band member still with her that was with her when I had heard the song previously was Deanie, and let me tell you that these folks have been working
hard to bring us a wonderful tour this year. The entire band sounded superb on the song!
The Full set list is as follows:
Tear Stained Letter
You Can Feel Bad
Nothin' But the Wheel
You Don't Seem to Miss Me
You Don't Even Know Who I Am
The Trouble With the Truth
Halfway Down
Draggin My Heart Around
Nothin' Like the Lonely
The Grandpa That I Know
Boys are Back in Town
I'll Never Grow Tired of You
Daniel Prayed
Pretty Little Miss
On Your Way Home
Lovin' All Night
Blame it On Your Heart
Encore: She Drew a Broken Heart
After the show, I had that wonderful experience to talk with Patty, which of course is always the icing on the cake after a show! I didn't want any autographs or photos with her time, it was just important for me to see her! When I was around 4, my grandmother used to tell me that Patty's Hugs were special- and it stuck with me, and each time I met Patty thereafter, it was simply my ritual to get my "Patty Hug". I hadn't been able to talk with her long enough this year yet to get my hug, and was simply thrilled to do so this show, and always means a great deal to me.
As always, thanks to the band for working so hard to learn so many songs to perform and sharing their talents. To the Crew & David for always going the extra mile for the fans, and doing so much each night to make the show fantastic. And last but certainly not least, Patty, for all the obvious reasons!
So I may have gotten pulled over on the way to the show, and I missed part of her show, and I wrecked my car on the way home- but who couldn't be on cloud nine after hearing Patty do such a fabulous show? The woman has talent, plain and simple. It irritates me that so many folks don't realize what a treasure our Patty is!
