Wolf Den @ Mohegan Sun Casino
Uncasville, CT
July 10 & 11
Review By: Barbara
Our first Patty concerts of 2005! Our good buddies Miles and Mike D got in line very early to grab good seats for us; Miles on Sunday morning and Mike on Monday, both at 8 a.m. for concerts at 7 and 8 p.m.! THANK YOU, MILES AND MIKE D! Cindy and Bob emailed us and were kindly added to the number by the nice person behind Miles, so while they were at the next table to us, they still had great seats. Bob and I left Cranston just after two o’clock and arrived at Mohegan Sun at 3:15. Miles had secured the first place in line, so we had our choice of tables, and sat directly in front of Patty’s microphone. If you look at Bob’s pictures from the first show you’ll see that they are all shot at a definite upward angle!! I was afraid that he would have pictures showing Patty’s eyelashes as giant spiders, but he’s a much better photographer than that! They let you sit down an hour and a half before show time, so once we were seated Bob bought us each a shirt. I got a pretty blue one with “Dreamin My Dreams” on it, and Bob has the new brown one with a great picture of Patty. (Please note that I washed them the next morning to wear to the second show!)
As the band members came out to tune up their instruments, I was able to jot down what they were wearing. First show: Deanie was in patched light blue jeans, and a black long sleeved shirt over a black tank. Kylie wore striped pants and a black tank top with a sparkly design. Guthrie had on a white shirt and dark pants. Pete was in a black long sleeved shirt and black pants. Jimmy wore a black short sleeved shirt and pants that looked gray but may have been black; if I get any colors wrong, blame the lighting; it’s often hard to tell the exact color even though we were practically sitting on the stage! Martin had on tan shorts and a blue shirt. Finally our girl Patty appeared, and she looked fantastic! She was wearing blue jeans, and a brown top which had a sparkly neckline, with a gorgeous sheer bolero over it. The bolero was beaded on the short sleeves and back in turquoise and white sparkly beads. It was edged with white cord that tied at the v-neck and fell to below her waist, ending in tassels. With this Patty wore a sparkling bracelet on her right arm, and a wide cuff bracelet on the left; and a circle pendant with stones that looked like topaz in the center. Okay, enough about the clothes!
The opening song was “Keep Your Distance” and when Patty hit that first opening note, everyone sat up and listened! WOW! They went right into “Last Thing”. Patty looked great; slim, her hair in loose blonde curls, very high energy; she looked like she was having fun. She talked about singing with George Jones, and capturing the CMA 1997 Vocal Event of the Year. Of course this was the intro to “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me”, and Troy did a fine job. The next songs were “You Can Feel Bad”, and “She Drew A Broken Heart”. At the Monday evening show, Mike D held Miles’ red Sharpie during parts of “Drew A Broken Heart” and made appropriate gestures, making Patty smile. Patty then told us that her new record is coming out on September 13th, and the title is “Dreamin’ My Dreams”. She does this song in memory of Waylon Jennings. She said that when she was fourteen she heard that song by Waylon and loved it. She’s happy to do a song of his. This is a great song, and Patty puts so much emotion in it. Pete’s steel guitar on that song is exquisite.
Patty tore up the stage then with “That Kind Of Girl”, belting out the words and looking really sassy! On Monday night she acknowledged Mike D’s sign which he held up, saying “Thanks for adding ‘Girl’”. She did her marvelous job on “Trouble With the Truth”, particularly that ending which she always nails! Deanie and Kylie came together center stage, playing the intro to “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am”, and Patty walked between them at the beginning and end of the song. I love this song, so thank you, Patty, for putting this on your set list. While I’m at it, any time you want to add “Here I Am” is just fine with me, too! I adore that song, and never hear it enough!! But I digress. Patty talked a bit about her next song, saying it should be an anthem for musicians, out on the road and alone in their hotel room. She’s a huge fan of Steve Earle, and loved to hear him do this song. Guthrie and Troy did a beautiful intro, and Patty can break your heart when you hear her sing “My Old Friend The Blues”. You believe every note!
Then it was time to introduce the band. We all know and appreciate the enormous talent of Deanie Richardson, and it’s always great to see her with Patty. Troy Engle is new to the band, a very talented musician, who handles guitar, mandolin, banjo---as Patty said, “He can play anything you hand him”. He also sounds great on vocals. Jimmy Johnson is on bass guitar, and he is truly one of the nicest gentlemen ever. Jimmy has played with many many great names, and we are so glad he is with Patty. Guthrie Trapp can make a guitar do anything, and his love of music is very apparent. It’s nice to see him back this year. Pete Finney is on steel guitar as well as guitar and Dobro, and probably most other instruments! He makes that steel guitar sob and cry and sing. Kylie Harris is new to the band on guitar and vocals. Kylie is from New Zealand. It occurred to me as I was sitting there that drummers seldom have their faces out where we can see them, but they are so integral to a good sound. Martin Parker is surely one of the best on drums, and a truly nice person. I can’t imagine Patty’s band without Martin! He always looks so calm, but he can really let loose and rock the house!
Guthrie displayed his virtuosity on his solo; that man can PLAY! This led into “Halfway Down”, and Patty still had energy to burn. I love Deanie’s fiddle and Troy’s banjo intro to “Nothin’ Like The Lonely”. Of course, Patty’s humming on that song always electrifies the audience. Then it was time for one of Bob’s favorites, “On Your Way Home”. Patty can hold a note, let me tell you!! Awesome! That’s a great song. Another energetic number, “Lovin’ All Night”, on which Ms. Loveless displayed a lot of cute sass! Then it was time to get us on our feet and teach us the words to “Blame It On Your Heart”. I don’t know if everyone got the words right, but we sure were loud! On Monday night Patty sang “Elvis” as the encore, and her face when we all yelled “Come on, Patty, get it together” was priceless!
Nope, I gotta talk about clothes again! At the Monday show, we had Deanie in brown pants and a green and white striped shirt; Troy in blue jeans and a diamond-patterned shirt; Pete in black pants and a black shirt with silver panels; Guthrie in a black shirt with a tiger on front and back, and light blue jeans; Kylie in black pants and shirt; Martin in blue shorts and a white or cream shirt; Jimmy in his black shirt and pants; and Patty…wow! Patty wore blue jeans with sparkles on the pockets, an ivory tank with a sheer long sleeved overshirt which had lines of beading on the front, a tan belt which seemed to match her high-heeled boots, and delicate dangle earrings. She looked great!
After both shows we spoke briefly with the band members, who are always friendly. We learned that Deanie now has 300 students in her school! Way to go, Deanie!!!
Both shows were great, and I can’t wait for the next five that we have planned! The band sounds really good. Patty was in terrific voice, had high energy, and appeared to have a lot of fun up there. I just love the way that woman dresses! She even changed her rings for Monday’s performance! No detail escapes her. She always looks like what she is; a very class act. I am grateful that she shares her musical gifts so generously with us. It isn’t just the incredible voice, the power, the phrasing; it’s the raw emotion that Patty Loveless pours into every note that reaches out and grabs my heart. This woman means what she sings, and we can hear it and respond to it. She touches each of us in a deep place, and isn’t that the definition of good music?
