‘Natural Forces’ unite: Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt deliver songwriting charm at Forest Hills Fine Arts Center

The seasoned, award-winning troubadours’ duo tour made a Grand Rapids tour stop on Wednesday, filling the evening with anecdotes and acoustic artistry. (Photo gallery, review)

 

One dynamic roots duo deserves another.

About three weeks after singer-songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin booted up the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center’s 2013-14 concert series with an acoustic evening of chatting and playing, Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt got cozy on the same stage for the male edition of musical bonding and banter for a near-capacity crowd of about 1,200.

And with more than 75 years of performing and 32 albums between them, the iconic and much-beloved Americana acts had more than enough jocular and heart-rending material – and lighthearted tales from the road – to fill a Wednesday evening and many more.

I’ve seen the iconic Lovett and Hiatt a dozen times over the years but never together, and the pairing of these roots music story-tellers – which Lovett said took place for the first time in 1989 – makes for a revealing, comedically engaging experience, exuding an unabashed sincerity and an aw-shucks demeanor as the singers trade songs and “interview” each other about their writing and career escapades, which have included a bevy of duo shows.

CLASSICS AND DEEP TRACKS PERFORMED IN ACOUSTIC FASHION

“It’s easier to find new places to play than it is to write new songs,” Lovett quipped at one point, quoting legendary Texas songwriter Townes Van Zandt. “So we keep moving.”

Playing mostly solo – though Hiatt added guitar leads to some of Lovett’s tunes and the pair joined together for tunes such as “Thing Called Love” and “Fiona” – the veteran songwriters regaled the audience with a fair number of their classics: Hiatt’s “Master of Disaster,” “Buffalo River Home” “Tennessee Plates,” and “Memphis in the Meantime,” Lovett’s “White Boy Lost in the Blues,” “Natural Forces,” and “L.A. County.”

But the format also gave them the freedom to deliver stripped-down, raw renditions of familiar songs and dust off selections from their extensive catalog they might not otherwise play with a full band. Lovett’s poignant, short and powerful “Pontiac” was a stellar example of that, as was Hiatt’s version of “Long Time Coming,” a new song that’s slated to appear on his next album (tentatively titled “Terms of My Surrender” and due out in February).

Wednesday’s concert was a spare, laid-back affair in an acoustically pleasing setting … and an ideal way to showcase a pair of master craftsmen of American songwriting.

Check out these Local Spins images from the concert by photographer Anthony Norkus.

 

                JOHN HIATT/LYLE LOVETT: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY BY ANTHONY NORKUS

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music