John Hiatt at Weinberg Center for the Arts May 21 – He’s Back
John Hiatt played a helluva show at the Weinberg Center for the Arts on one of those perfect spring days where everything was blooming in lovely Frederick, Maryland. Throughout the night, inside the theatre John was charming, funny, and sang with his striking signature vocal style- sometimes sustained and growly, sometimes with his delightful vocal stutter effect over some alliteration e.g. on “Memphis in the Meantime” – as he played his pair of J-45s with their low end rumbles. He touched peoples’ hearts, had them laughing one minute and wiping their eyes the next, and warmed a whole roomful of souls.
He regaled the audience in between every song and had them in stitches – which was the least he could do after bringing them to tears with the love songs, like “Weightless in My Arms” and “Real Fine Love.” John told relatable anecdotes, some about his wife, mentioning his daughter Lilly, but also peppering in several adorable stories about his toddler granddaughter, who apparently has been having fun with grandad’s harmonica. He also graciously complemented the town of Frederick, where the show took place.
Opening the night was “My Old Friend,” a welcoming song that drew the audience in, and then it was “Lilacs in Ohio,” after which John told a story about playing that song with Jerry Douglas, a native of Ohio, who perplexingly claimed there were no lilacs in Ohio. In a little bit, “Crossing Muddy Waters” held the audience in the palm of his hand.
As he joked that most musicians wrote about a thousand songs during the pandemic, and that he had written only one, the launched into “That Thing You Need,” which is one of the most touching love songs ever written.
At one point he even addressed the hiking accident that happened to him last fall, causing to cancel a run of shows, where he fell 15 feet off a trail, hit his head on stones and had a brain bleed, and managed to even laugh that off with the audience.
Hiatt played those Gibsons mightily and nimbly and sang powerfully, and he traipsed with the audience through his hits “Slow Turning,” “Perfectly Good Guitar,” the previously mentioned “Crossing Muddy Waters,” and shared “Have a Little Faith in Me” as one of the two encores.
It was a night of beauty and the audience was clearly happy and satisfied with the 21 – song set. Absolutely do not miss John Hiatt if he’s playing near you. He’s back.
Opening the show was Shane Gamble, whose songs were pretty and held the audience gazing and rapt. Standing in the spotlight with his acoustic guitar, Shane held his own in the theatre with excellent songwriting and folks were leaning forward in their seats in attention. His music is well worth checking into here on his website: https://www.shanegamble.com/
For more details, show dates and information on John Hiatt check here: https://www.johnhiatt.com
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Show Review: John Hiatt at Birchmere w/Grayson Capps opening
John Hiatt Setlist:
My Old Friend
All the Lilacs in Ohio
Trudy and Dave
Crossing Muddy Waters
The Tiki Bar Is Open
Tennessee Plates
Weightless In My Arms
The Open Road
Real Fine Love
Lift Up Every Stone
Drive South
That Thing You Need
Perfectly Good Guitar
Slow Turning
Feels Like Rain
Cry Love
Memphis in the Meantime
Stood Up
Thing Called Love
Encore:
Riding With the King
Have A Little Faith In Me