www.patty-loveless.net || Patty Loveless Net

Patty Loveless Concert
August 22, 2004
Danbury, CT
Review by Barbara

Bob and I left Cranston at 3:15pm on Sunday, August 22nd, to drive to Danbury, Connecticut to the Ives Concert Park. This venue is located on the campus of Western Connecticut State University. Our trip was uneventful except for a traffic jam on Route 95 for about six exits. We were in cell phone contact with Mike D. Nick was coming up from Silver Spring, Maryland and had mentioned that he wanted to go out for lobster before the concert. We told them to go ahead and eat as we wouldn’t arrive until about 6pm. However, Mike said they had food at the venue and we would all eat there. We did arrive just at 6 o’clock, and met Mike D., Nick, and Miles. Bob and Miles exchanged CDs which they had made, and Mike gave us a couple of CDs. As we were chatting and walking to the venue from the parking area, we met up with Chrissy and Erica, who joined our ‘posse’. As the show was scheduled to start at 7:30, we wanted to get some food, so we went to the grandly mis-named “Food Court”, a tent with a very limited menu of extremely overpriced items! Bob and I had the following, and these were small portions: chicken nuggets, fried chicken, two orders of fries, and two sodas. Firstly, the fries, listed as ‘french fries’, were sweet potato fries, which I like, but Bob does not. Had we known this he would not have ordered approximately 15 fries at $5.00. The total for our order? $30.00!!! The shy and quiet man I married told the cashier that it should be illegal and he hoped this money was at least going to the school! There was a theme here, as later we went by the merchandise booth and found the exact same Patty shirts we had bought at Mohegan Sun for $25.00 each marked up to $30.00. We asked where Chris was, but the “Souvenir Booth” was manned by Ives Concert Park people. Bob and I would like to meet the student whose education we subsidized!

Anyway, we had a great time with our fellow Patty fans. It was so much fun talking with Chrissy and Erica. They’re really funny and attractive gals and I’m glad to have had the chance to spend more time talking with them. Before we went in to take our seats, Bob asked a stranger to take a picture of us all so we could post it on the site. We met all the PLNers, had a group picture taken, and now we were ready take our seats. Bob and I were in the eleventh row center. Carolyn Dawn Johnson was the opening act, and she told us how she used to listen to Patty Loveless back in Canada, and how she cried when Patty won Album of the Year. She said Patty was a wonderful mentor. Her show was very good. During intermission, Bob and I went up to talk with Mike D. and Nick who were in the front row, and found they were saving two seats for us. Soon Mike went back and got Miles, then Chrissy and Erica, as there was almost no one in the second row. So, yes folks, once again Bob J was glassy-eyed and breathing hard as we watched the entire Patty show from the front row!! Thanks Mike D and Nick!!!!!! (Sorry for no pictures this time. Bob started taking pictures when security came up to him and said that was your last picture, put the camera away. We also noticed that security was going through the crowd telling people to stop taking pictures, and before long, there were no more flashes).

At 8:45 pm the band came out and began the intro to “Tear Stained Letter”. Patty walked out looking great; relaxed, smiling, energetic. She was wearing jeans and a ruffled shirt which at first I thought was a dark blue but I think was black (the lights made it difficult to distinguish) and a silver-worked vest. Her boots were eye-catching also; very pointed, white with black trim. Next song was “You Can Feel Bad”, and then one of my favorites, “Nothin’ But the Wheel”. I’m happy to report that Patty sounded strong and healthy. She then said that Carolyn Dawn Johnson was an amazing talent and has sung on some of Patty’s records. She took us back to 1997, when she got to sing with one of her heroes, Mr. George Jones. Of course the next song was “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me’, on which Garry did his usual great job. On the next number, “Trouble With the Truth”, we all enjoyed the sassy way Patty ended that song. Garry and Guthrie played an intro and “She Drew A Broken Heart” was next. I can’t emphasize enough how very healthy and energetic Patty was. And she said we sounded lively! If you can go to a Patty Loveless concert and sit there silently with your hands folded…………you are dead!!!! GO HOME! Patty then talked a bit about Jedd Hughes, now 22 years old, who had been with her for a couple of years and now has a record deal with MCA. Patty called Jedd an unbelievable writer and told us his record will be out at the end of this month. Then she told us how she ‘acquired’ Guthrie Trapp. Seems she was in a bar called Robert’s and he was playing. Afterward, he came over and she introduced herself and asked him “Would you come play with me?”. It’s the first time she’s picked up a guitar player! Well, then she corrected herself and said she picked one up about 13 years ago. When we all ‘ooohed’ at that, she grinned and said “My husband, y’all!” Guthrie was in the spotlight then and blew us away with his musicianship. This led into “Halfway Down”, after which Patty introduced the rest of the band. Of Garry Murray, she mentioned his ‘sweet voice’ in a very sexy tone which had Garry blushing! Patty said that steel guitar is Travis Toy’s love, at which he yelled, “I hate it!” We all laughed, then Patty shook her head and replied, “Sorry, darlin’, but you play it so well.” Martin Parker on drums keeps everyone in time. On bass is Jimmy Johnson, who Patty called ‘the daddy of us all”. Jimmy wisecracked that he played with Milli Vanilli when Patty pointed out that he had his instrument on backwards!! Of Marcia Ramirez, Patty said she loves singing with her and she is a sweetie. Patty calls Deanie Richardson one of the finest fiddle players anywhere. Then she finished by saying, “I’m the chick singer, Patty Loveless.”

From the On Your Way Home album came “Draggin’ My Heart Around”. Deanie on fiddle and Patty humming introduced “Nothin’ But the Lonely”. Deanie was hitting it so perfectly that Patty said she’d join Deanie’s fan club! This next song, Patty told us, is lyrically very special. Also from On Your Way Home, she said we could see a picture of a man standing beside a mule. This is Emory’s grandfather, Homer Cochran, who passed away at age 92. Patty said she feels like she knew him because of the stories she’s heard. Papa Cochran was well-respected in his community. While Patty was speaking the stage was being set up for an acoustic set. “Not the Grandpa That I Know” was chillingly beautiful; Marcia and Garry provided great backup vocals and, as with all of Patty’s songs, you could hear the real emotion in her voice. Deanie’s fiddle playing “Amazing Grace” is the perfect ending, and we were on our feet in a standing ovation. “The Boys Are Back In Town”, from Mountain Soul, had Travis on dobro and Garry on fiddle with Deanie. Patty said that Martina cut the next song around 1992 and had a single. Patty wanted to cut it more rustic. Emory and Jim Rushing wrote it. This was another favorite of mine, “Cheap Whiskey”. Again we heard Garry and Deanie on fiddle, Travis on dobro, and Marcia and Guthrie on guitar, Marcia and Garry on vocals, Martin on drum, and Jimmy on guitar. The harmony on this song was absolutely incredible. The reason Patty is such a huge fan of the Stanley Brothers is because of her father. This next song was a favorite of her Dad. “Daniel Prayed” again had great harmony, with Deanie on mandolin. Patty told a story about a little girl, about eight years old, who met Patty at the beginning of the tour. The little girl asked, “Will you do that song about me?” Patty replied, “Help me out.” “Well, you know-‘Pretty Little Miss’!” This time we saw Marcia on mandolin. We always love Deanie’s intro on fiddle to “On Your Way Home”. Bob was beaming, as this is one of his favorites. I saw Travis playing guitar on “Lovin’ All Night”. Then Patty got us all on our feet., clapping and singing along to “Blame It On Your Heart”. We sounded really loud on the chorus! They tried to leave at this point, but the crowd was having none of that. We stayed standing, applauding, calling them back out. Of course, the ever-gracious Ms. Loveless and company returned for an encore. Patty stated that she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1988, and this was her first top 10 record. “If My Heart Had Windows” is such a beautiful song, and no one could ever make it so personal and heartfelt as our Patty. The final tune was “On Down the Line”.

BUT----this was not the end of the evening for us PLN folks! We hung out at the bus and after a while Marcia came out and, to my surprise, came over and hugged us all, saying that she remembered us from Uncasville. We had a great time talking with her. Patty is so right; Marcia is as sweet as she looks. Her husband, Mike, plays guitar with Lee Ann Womack, and her son Derek is also a guitar player. Now, I wasn’t taking notes while Marcia was talking with us, so I may get some of these facts wrong, but here is what I think she told us. She has played with Rodney Crowell and Pam Tillis, and Patty’s booking agent worked with Marcia in the past. When Patty needed a keyboardist and backup vocalist, he thought of Marcia and put them in touch. The rest, as they say, is history. Marcia told us this cute story. Her husband was thinking about who he ‘d like to tour with, and after much thought, he said he’d like to tour with Patty Loveless. Well, a week later, he was putting in a new floor in their home, and Marcia came up to him and said she just got a gig. When he asked with whom, she said “Patty Loveless”. She said he looked up at her, wrinkled his nose, and said, “You get all the good gigs!” Marcia is one classy lady and we will not forget the way she treated us! We love you Marcia!!!!

Our primary reason for being at a Patty Loveless concert is, of course, her music. The songs she chooses, the very real emotion she pours into them, her incredible voice---all this is more than reason enough. The icing on the cake, for me, is that this is a very classy lady, down to earth, warm and sweet and a little shy despite her fame. That she surrounds herself with excellent musicians is expected; that she chooses people of the caliber of these folks is as much a testament to her character as to theirs.

So, we returned home to Rhode Island at 2 am, a round trip of 295 miles, a great time with friends we’ve met through this site, and another terrific Patty concert behind us. Aha, but in less than two weeks, we’ll be back!!!! Bob and I are going to Hampton Beach, NH for the Friday night show, staying overnight, and going up to Lancaster, NH for two shows on Saturday! IT’S NOT OVER YET!