And Now Something Completely Different..

Kathy took me to See Joe Ely when we first dated. Which was pretty damn cool.
Last night, Joe played with Guy Clark, Lyle Lovett, and John Hiatt. I got free tickets from work.

This is an edited review from the paper:
You could have stayed home Tuesday night and watched the premiere of "American Idol" featuring its Minneapolis auditions showcasing singers with "Dreamgirls" dreams and "Gong Show" finishes. Or you could have braved the frigid weather -- as 2,000 hardy souls did -- to go to the State Theatre to see four veteran, never-been-big stars singers-songwriters performing without a net.

Let's call them Troubadours with Pompadours. They sat across the stage, each with an acoustic guitar, and performed in alphabetical order -- or if you prefer, in order of oldest to youngest. Their styles and voices were varied but they demonstrated common qualities: These three Texans and one Indiana native (Hiatt) are romantics with dry senses of humor who craft very smart songs filled with vivid detail, memorable characters and unexpected turns.

Hiatt, 54, performed mostly full-bodied bluesy songs that were familiar to listeners of Cities 97. It was refreshing to hear a soulful acoustic guitar rendition of "Have a Little Faith in Me" instead of a piano song.

Lovett, 49, was strikingly powerful with just his voice and guitar on the elegant, New Age-y "Don't Cry a Tear for Me," the swingin' blues "What Do You Do" and "My Baby Don't Tolerate" with the other three singers on harmony.

Ely, who turns 60 next month, specialized in romantic rockabilly tales that made him come across like the Springsteen of Texas. He dusted off "I Had My Hopes Up High," which he'd sung at the Cabooze bar on his first trip to Minneapolis.

Clark, 66, was alternately poignant ("Old Friends") and witty (the one about the analog women living in the digital age) -- and sometimes both in the same tune ("Homegrown Tomatoes"). He was not in great voice; not that his voice is ever great -- it's weathered at best, like Kris Kristoffersen's.

The quartet did two tunes together -- Townes Van Zandt's "White Freight Liner" and the blues chestnut "Sittin' on Top of the World," during which Clark forgot the lyric in mid-verse so he just tossed it over to Ely without missing a beat or making a befuddled face.