Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Fri, 4 Sep 1992 13:07:16 EDT
From:         Scott Hammer <SCOTH@WMVM1.CC.WM.EDU>
Subject:      Bonnie Raitt/Lyle Lovett Review

Bonnie Raitt and Lyle Lovett put on quite a show at the State Fairgrounds
in Richmond, VA Wednesday night.

Lovett opened with "Church" from his recent _Joshua Judges Ruth_ CD.  Really
got the crowd moving, too.  Lovett's "Large Band" lived up to its billing --
guitar, bass, drums, congas (played by a *white* person), grand piano, cello,
three saxes (yes, Carol, that's s_a_xes :)), and four back-up singers.  He
performed mostly stuff from the most recent CD: "She's Already Made Up Her
Mind" was particularly good.  The one song I recognized from Lovett's earlier
work was "If I Had Boat."  Francine Reed, one of the backup singers, nearly
stole the show with her lead vocal work on the jazz/blues standard "Wild
Women Don't Get the Blues."

Bonnie Raitt started out with the Paul Siebel song other than "Louise" that
she does (I can never remember the name), followed by various other acoustic
numbers, backed by varying portions of her band.  "Love Me Like a Man" and
"Don't Advertise Your Man" got spirited blues fingerpicking treatments, while
Ms. Raitt's featured her voice on covers of James Taylor's "Rainy Day Man" and
Jackson Browne's "My Opening Farewell."  The highlight of the acoustic set was
"She's Nobody's Girl," from _Nick of Time_, featuring an extended, jazz colored
fingerpicking break.

 After swapping her J-series Gibson acoustic for her battered Stratocaster, Ms.
Raitt launched in to the songs from _Nick of Time_ and _Luck of the Draw_ that
most in the sell-out audience of 10,000+ had come to hear.  Starting with a
reading of "Love Letter" that was even more bass-heavy than the album version,
Ms. Raitt and band (two keyboards, two percussionists, bass, and guitar)
launced into a slide-guitar fest on "Thing Called Love."  Ms. Raitt also per-
formed the title song from "Nick of Time" and a hearfelt "The Only One" which
she dedicated to her husband (who was backstage). She then forgot most of the
lyrics, suggesting that this number is not part of her regular set.

The concert was partially a benefit for the Virginia Coalition on Jails and
Prisons, but, this being Richmond (extremely right-wing) Ms. Raitt's anti-
capital punishment and anti-Bush political comments between songs were greeted
with as many boos as cheers.

Probably the highlight of the entire evening was the series of encores.  First,
Ms. Raitt brought out Williamsburg native Bruce Hornsby to reprise his studio
piano work on "I Can't Make You Love Me."  After the audience demanded another
encore, Ms. Raitt brought out Lyle Lovett to share vocal chores on a driving,
exuberant performance of "Let a Boy Do a Big Man's Job," with Hornsby again
sitting in on keyboards.  Finally, with the guests offstage, Ms. Raitt and band
closed the evening with a soulful reading of the Tracy Chapman song "Don't Sell
Your Soul."

Richmonders have always supported Bonnie Raitt, even during the dark days of
the late '80's when she was without a recording contract, and she has always
responded with good performances here.  It was evident on Wednesday night that
this symbiosis is in good health.

-Scott "Reviews 'R' Us" Hammer
 College of William and Mary
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