L&M's concert was worth the wait
By Marty Clear
Published October 1, 2005
Loggins and Messina's road crew had a T-shirt made up to commemorate the current reunion tour. It shows Winnie the Pooh running from an outhouse holding something in his hand. Underneath are the words "30 Years of Pooh."
Jim Messina told the sold-out crowd at Ruth Eckerd Hall that story Friday night, after Loggins and Messina played their signature song, The House at Pooh Corner .
It's hardly the cleverest anecdote ever told, but the audience responded with wild laughter and applause. Clearly, most of the 40- and 50-somethings who packed the hall had been waiting for this concert for a long time.
Their wait was rewarded with a show that was maybe just a bit short on passion, but overflowing with professionalism, virtuosity and just general good vibes.
Backed by a wonderful eight-piece band, Kenny and Jim took to the stage dressed in properly worn jeans and untucked shirts. Loggins, who seldom let go of a beaming smile, looked youthful and comfortable. Messina seemed a bit stiff by comparison.
The plan was that they would play a full set concentrating on their hits, and after an intermission they'd return with a more free-from, acoustic-oriented set, take requests and play whatever suited their fancy.
Plans went awry, however. After scarcely more than a half-dozen songs, mostly unknown to the casual fan but familiar to the rabid L&M followers who dominated the audience, the boys announced they were going to take a break to take care of something that happened."
What happened, they explained later, was that the bass player had gotten sick and couldn't continue. So they went directly into their more laid-back acoustic set, playing in front of an image of a general store. They started with a song from Messina's Poco days, You Better Think Twice and moved into Kind Woman , a minor hit from another of Messina's former bands, Buffalo Springfield. They were clearly feeling their way along: Loggins had to stop the proceedings while he figured out the chords to one song.
The second set showed off the insanely talented band, including a quasi-Mohawked guy who played dobro and fiddle. Highlights of the segment included Loggins' I Want to Sing You a Love Song . At the opposite end of the spectrum was a medley of such old rock songs as Whole lotta Shakin ' and Hound Dog .
They eventually moved back to their electric configuration, with the dobro/fiddle player on six-string bass. After a fiery bass solo, Loggins, looking sincerely amazed, said he didn't know until that moment that the guy could play bass.
The show hadn't been particularly heavy on hits until then, but toward the end, nearly three hours after they had started, Loggins and Messina moved into elongated and highly charged versions of Your Mama Don't Dance , Vahevalla , Danny's Song and Angry Eyes .