Rams Head Tavern

Annapolis, MD

October 14, 2005

Review By: Cole

We spent a good portion of the afternoon enjoying some of "downtown" Annapolis. We were supposed to be meeting Richard & Patti at 4:30 at the Rams Head, so Tammie, Sandi and I picked up Bob & Barbara, and we all headed up to Annapolis & did a little bit of sightseeing. Once you got down by the water, it was gorgeous! I normally hate doing anything touristy prior to shows, mainly because I'm more worried about seeing the shows and don't ever enjoy the sightseeing- but with our group, we had a great time!

Rams Head wasn't anything like I thought it would be. Richard had told me about how small it was, but I didn't expect what I saw...when I saw it just on a street in downtown, it just blended in with the stores and eateries on the same street. It actually reminded me a lot of downtown Nashville. I don't know what I had originally picture for Rams Head, but this wasn't it. We went a little early and sat outside for awhile, having some drinks (I say drinks...but Tammie was our only 'alcoholic' of the group at that time!). We were out there long enough to have the bus pull up & talk to the band as they went in, and say hello to Patty as she went in as well. We didn't anticipate getting to see her prior, so it was a nice surprise!

As I said- the Rams Head is small. So, when we went inside right before showtime and sat down...imagine my surprise that to sit down and have my seat facing Patty...my knees had to hit the stage! Where to stick my purse, I asked? Ah, just put it on Patty's Microphone stand- there's nowhere else to put it! When Patty came out onstage, I had to take a photo with my knees literally inches away from where Patty was standing.



As she was the night before- Patty was really on tonight. There were two shows, so we thought the first show might be a tad bit rushed. When she came out, she talked once again about seeing familiar faces- and said that some of us had even been to see her the night before. She asked for us to show her by applause those of us who had seen a Patty Loveless concert before. There was quite a bit of applause...And then she asked how many people had not been to a Patty Loveless show- and there was quite a bit of applause as well. We had a really good mixed crowd! I thought the crowd at Rams Head may have even been better than the previous night- everyone loved her!

The set list was the same as it was the night before (except the encore). Patty was still pretty energetic, but not as much as the night before. She sounded killer, as usual! I've loved having 'Keep Your Distance' as her opener this year--it sets the tone for a great show! At this venue though, it made us laugh...Tammie leaned forward and said, "At this place, we can't keep our distance!"

I have to say that I honestly cannot remember every detail that she said this past week, which is pretty unusual for me. By the end of the tour, I'll have hit 20 shows, which was great, but there was a two month stretch between my last show and this show, which I never usually let happen! I was so thrilled to finally see her, I just had to sit back and enjoy her and take a ton of photos. I felt like I hadn't seen her in years...that whole 'two month' thing will not happen again next year...I didn't like that one bit. Frequent Flyer Miles are going to be my friend next year.

The first show they asked for no flash photography, so the photos didn't turn out as well. (Although, go figure, the second show, when I chose not to use a flash, the pics were killer.)



Patty didn't use her throat spray very much at the show, I noticed...she sounded fantastic! It was hard for her to move around very far, though, since the stage was so small. But, that was ok with me, since we were right in front of her! She moved around to the best of her ability during "You can Feel Bad" & "She Drew a Broken Heart"-- both songs in which she had a burst of energy!

"Dreamin My Dreams", the first show, she started off by saying that the folks who had seen her last night had already heard her say this....and began explaining how she dedicates it to the Hurricane Victims. They launched into the song--and she was really into it. Pete sounds killer on the steel during that song! During the second show- she launched into the song by talking about Waylon Jennings. Was nice to have a little mix up!

One thing I noticed about the crowd was they were VERY into the band-- every time Deanie had a killer intro to something, or during her solo during 'Never Ending Love'--they went nuts! The acoustic set, (also means time for Cole to move her purse temporarily!) sounded great in such a small venue. Guthrie and Troy both had their parents there that night (at both shows), so they both commented during the show & Guthrie said it was his parents wedding anniversary. Troy sent out "Daniel Prayed" to his folks.

For the first show, Patty chose to do 'Here I Am' again after "Nothin' Like the Lonely"....and it sounded amazing once again. Prior to the second show starting, though, Deanie walked out and crossed it off the list & wrote in "On Your Way Home". We were thrilled to hear it at one of the shows, and as usual - she nailed it. It feels as though after every show I repeat myself by saying "she was awesome", or "she nailed it"....but there aren't many other words you can use to describe Patty's shows. When Patty's sick or tired, etc- she still puts on a hell of a show. Everyone is always amazed that we all go out to see her so many times in the same year, especially since she uses the same set list. But..I'd rather see the same show 30 times a year by an artist who is really passionate about her music & appreciates her fans the way Patty Loveless does.

While she did the same acoustic set during the first show, she switched it up a little bit the second show. Richard called out for "I'll Never Grow Tired of You"..so Patty told him "Ok, you'll get your way this time Richard!", and began explaining the song's background to the crowd, before saying, "Richard and I would like to share it with you", and laughing.



Our big moments of the night both shows were towards the end of the show. During "Blame it on Your Heart", for the first show, at the famous moment for everyone to sing along, she walked over to our part of the stage, and pointed at our very own Jackie, and motioned for her to come up. We all screamed for her-- and she did a great job on the song! After the show, we knew we had a new Nashville star! Everyone was so thrilled that she'd gotten Jackie up there to do it.

The second show, during the same song...she walked towards the other side of the stage, and she was focusing on keeping the mic in front of people's faces..and as she did so, her foot slipped- and she fell off the stage. Thank goodness- she fell right into Richard's arms, and she never missed a note of the song. You didn't even HEAR the microphone get hit or anything. She kept a grip on it, kept singing, and Richard helped her back up on stage. She was obviously shaken by it, and when she got back onstage, got a laugh and said, "I finally got to fall into Richard's arms", but you could see her hands shaking. After the show, we were told she was just fine, it just scared her. It scared a lot of us too...I know our hearts just leapt into our throats when she fell. I have seen her fall a million times--- but I have never seen her fall off the stage.

That said...I think it proves how dedicated she is to her show & music. Here you have an artist who fell off the stage while trying to include the crowd in the song....landed in a fans arms...KEPT SINGING...and got back up and not only laughed about it....continued right on with the show. Ask me again why I go see Patty so often? I highly doubt you'll find another artist that dedicated to their show.

Being the trooper she is, she closed the show with "Nothin But the WHeel", and then was trying to decide what she wanted to close with. She kept saying "Hmmm, I'm trying to decide...." while people shouted out songs (with Tammie and I shouting 'ELVIS!'). The band launched into "Elvis" and Patty said, "Well, I didn't have to decide! The band decided for me!". At the moment we all shouted "C'mon Patty get it together"....she grinned and said "Not before I fall first!".

We waited outside for awhile, but Patty didn't sign autographs. With everything that had happened onstage, not to mention they had a drive that night, it wasn't too surprising. It gave us time to spend with eachother, which we were bummed was coming to an end-- it was time for everyone to say our goodbyes. As usual, it was wonderful to see everyone. As I've said before, we've got our own family, and it's fantastic to have the chance to get together with them all. Jackie, Jess, Mike, Bob, Barbara, Sandi, Tammie, Teresa, Miles, Mike, Todd, Melinda, Kathy, Jack- it was fantastic to see all of you again! Richard & Patti...it was great getting to spend some extra time together this time around. Don't forget that Nashville trip!

Luckily, this wasn't my last show of the year...I still have four shows ahead of me....after that..it'll be back to twiddling my thumbs for more 2006 tour dates to come out!