The Birchmere
Alexandria, VA
October 13, 2005
Review By: Barbara
Bob and I flew into Reagan National Airport on Thursday, and through excellent organization by all parties, met Tammie whose plane had landed almost simultaneously.
We did the usual: baggage check, rental car, hotel check-in, then drove to the Birchmere.
It was great to see so many of you again: Richard and Patti, Cole, Mike, Miles, Jess and Mike, Jackie, Melinda and Todd; and to meet KathyK and Jack, Sandi, and Steve. Much has been said/written about the Birchmere; it is a great venue with outstanding acoustics.
Thanks to Richard, Patti and Cole, we had terrific seats! We started going a little wild when the band came out, and erupted noisily when Patty appeared. She looked great in blue jeans, a green satin cami with brown lace at hem and neckline, topped by a glittery brown crocheted long-sleeved shrug knotted in the middle. Her boots were so cool!! The parts that showed under the jeans seemed to have a gold and brown pattern. I always love to see what she is wearing! Patty said that we were a special part of the show, as it was being recorded for “The Road”, and the more noise we made the better she looked.
Patty opened the show with “Keep Your Distance”, a song I love and which the audience seemed to love too. She went right into “Last Thing On My Mind”, then talked about singing with George Jones and taking home the 1997 CMA for Vocal Event of the Year. This, of course, led to “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me”. On “You Can Feel Bad” we all got into clapping led by Deanie and Patty. Then came “She Drew A Broken Heart”. Patty then became serious, and talked about her new record, “Dreamin’ My Dreams” which came out right after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. She was reflecting on how what she does is a very small speck in the universe, but a friend told her that music is still important to people. She knows that the victims have dreams; of getting their homes back, their lives back together. She is singing this song for them. I love to hear “Dreamin’ My Dreams” live, as Patty sings it more slowly and with that heartfelt emotion that only Patty Loveless can put into a song.
As Shane began setting up for the acoustic set, Patty told us that Shane and his wife are expecting their first child, a boy, and she hopes they hold off until the tour is over! Congratulations, Shane!
Continuing with music from “Dreamin’ My Dreams”, Patty talked about Steve Earle being a label mate of hers, and how this song is so true for those on the road in lonely hotel rooms. “My Old Friend the Blues” is such a beautiful song, and of course Patty sings it with the spare melancholy that it requires. Pete Finney does a great job on dobro. The tempo certainly picked up with “Never Ending Love” on which Troy and Patty seem to have a good time as well as sounding great together. In introducing the next song, Patty said it was written by her husband and producer, Emory Gordy, Jr. She said he’s a bit shy, which is all right with her. He’s as much a part of the music as she is. She is very proud of him. “Cheap Whiskey” is one of my favorites, and I love to hear it live. From “Mountain Soul” came the next selections, “The Boys Are Back In Town” and “Daniel Prayed”. To continue the story of “Pretty Little Miss” we have “Big Chance” which is a great fun song. This ended the acoustic set.
Deanie Richardson, who as everyone knows is a consummate musician, really cut loose with her fiddle tonight. Her intro to “Nothin’ Like the Lonely” had us all energized. Then it was time for another of my favorites, “Here I Am”. Patty then introduced the band. “Lovin’ All Night” got us clapping, and then it was time to stand up and sing “Blame”, which I think we did very loudly. Her encore numbers were “If My Heart Had Windows” and “Elvis”.
It was raining when we got outside, and some of us huddled under an overhang talking about how great the concert was. Finally we had to give up and go back to the hotel, to get some rest before heading to Annapolis.
