That's Right, We're Not From Birmingham

 I briefly mentioned in this trip's first blog post that we got inspired to turn Maddie's retrieval from MICA into another leg of our perennial journey through America.  What I didn't specify was that Lyle Lovett sparked that inspiration, when I perused his tour dates only to realize that he was not finding his way down to Florida.  Now mind you, this was BEFORE the recent trend to boycott Florida, so Lyle's decision was a practical one, I'm sure.  Still, it stung.  While we had seen Lyle in concert twice before - in two of the best, and most different, concerts I have ever seen, we haven't seen him since the tickets we had to a mid April 2002 show were cancelled when Lyle broke his leg in 20 places (ouch!) after being trampled by the bull that had thrown his uncle.

So whenever I see news of Lyle on tour, I check out the tour dates.  Once again, no show fell within a few hundred mile radius of our house.  However, this time, I realized, we would be heading to Maryland in mid July to pick up Maddie.  Might a show coincide with that trip?!  Well, it turned out, not exactly...    That's when we decided to get creative :)  Therefore, I will now not only count Lyle Lovett as my one and only desert island artist (an incredible honor, I'm sure you'll agree), but I will also credit him with having introduced me to the wonderful Carnegie Mellon, the Kentucky Derby museum, and Toast on Market in Indiana (okay... that last one is a stretch, but it's my seque into Indiana, so let it slide)

As we packed up from our two night stay (doing a better double-check of the room this time, as we left a couple of Maddie's outfits hanging in the closet in Pittsburgh! They are on their way home, no worries), I read a bit about New Albany, Indiana, the breakfast spot that would enable us to check Indiana off of our list.   They are celebrating their bicentennial anniversary this year, as two brothers from Albany, NY discovered and claimed New Albany way back in 1813. 

 After the devastating flood in 1937, apparently it was little New Albany that served as the model for Louisville when it came to creating flood walls that would protect the land should such an event ever happen again.  Our waitress may have been the nicest person in Indiana (though she lives in Kentucky, the reverse of the many who live in Indiana and work in Louisville - earning the region the nickname Kentuckiana), but she certainly made me want to return for more than a cup of bananas foster latte (their specialty - it was pretty delicious) and a walk down the adorable main street, while Dana took yet another conference call (he did warn me it would be a working vacation).

Yet another great old theater - this one playing From Here to Eternity

Dana works, while Daniel does... something

Guess he was working his way to this ;)

Maddie took the wheel this morning, so she not only navigated around the bridge construction to get us to Indiana, but she then drove us out of Indiana, through Louisville one last time, and all the way to Alabama.  We chose a hotel that is smack in the middle of University of Alabama, so we would have no trouble getting to the concert with ease if time was an issue.  Since we completely forgot that we would gain an hour once we arrived in Birmingham, time was definitely not an issue.  We learned that a great Indian restaurant was within walking distance of the hotel, so we opted to give our taste buds some more exotic fare, then headed to the show, which took place in the beautiful Alys Stephens Center (prompting Lyle, at one point, to ask if "Alice" was present so he could tell her how much he admired her theater).

We snagged a parking spot just down the street from the center and made our way to one of the most musically satisfying concerts I've ever seen (well, but for the other two times I've seen Lyle in concert, I suppose ;)   As Maddie pointed out on her Facebook status, she and Daniel were among about six or seven people under the age of... hmmm... let's say 40 at this show, and I have to admit I sort of felt as if I was earning another parent merit badge for having the good sense to expose my children to music this good.  Those of you who are already fans of the great Lyle Lovett will appreciate just how special it is to see him in concert.  His humility, kindness, professionalism, and sheer talent are all unmatched.  He devotes much of his show (perhaps a good 1/3) to music written by his musical heroes, the greats nobody has ever heard of but he wants to give their due.  He also graciously turns the spotlight over to two of his youngest band members, Luke Bulla and Keith Sewell, to perform songs from their solo albums.

 Lyle sings backup on those songs and plays supporting guitar, and they were wonderful additions to a magnificent show.

Since we couldn't record (though Maddie did sneak off that one photo above), I am providing you with a few examples of what we got to experience last night.  I hope you do take some time to enjoy the songs - the first a short compilation of Lyle Lovett and His Acoustic Band (Russ Kunkel, drums; Viktor Krauss, bass; Keith Sewell, guitar and mandolin; Luke Bulla, fiddle) in Montreal earlier this month.  What amazed Dana and me was the sound they could get out of those five instruments, especially when they were playing songs originally performed by Lyle Lovett and his Large Band (which consists of lots of horns, as you might imagine). 
Lyle in Action

The next a performance of "Natural Forces" on the Elvis Costello show Spectacle.  In concert last night, he described the inspiration for this song. As he was sitting home on a Sunday, watching football and laughing at a silly beer commercial, he was struck by a promo for the evening news regarding fighting in Afghanistan and thought of all the soldiers who fight and enable people like him to sit home watching football on a Sunday afternoon.  That spark led to him thinking about the very fabric of America - and the song was born.  He told the story with a combination of reverence for the troops, self-deprecation, and his wonderful deadpan wit.   At one point, Daniel remarked that he could be a stand up comedian.

Lyle on Spectacle - Natural Forces

I don't know about that, but he's one hell of a musician. Finally, I offer you a rendition of my beloved "If I Had a Boat" - enjoy!
If I Had a Boat - Jackson, MS - a couple of months ago

Today, we're off to Atlanta, hoping to arrive in time to tour Emory at 2:00, check into the hotel and then meet up with Clay and Alex at some point before our next concert (Ben Folds +) tomorrow night.

Thanks, Lyle, for this trip - and for a spectacular night of music.  But do get yourself back down to Florida please!!