High on Hiatt

Ken and I had the experience of the summer last night - an outdoor concert by our favorite singer/songwriter on the perfect August evening at the flagship LLBean store in Freeport. The concert was free, but you never would have known that by the performance John Hiatt and The Ageless Beauties put on for the crowd. From the opening with "The Tiki Bar is Open" through three encore numbers, it was two hours of pure joy. We sang, tapped, swayed, clapped, and were happily carried away by music and lyrics.

John played guitar all evening and was accompanied by band members on guitar, bass, and drums. We usually see him perform solo, so we enjoyed watching his delight in playing with a band. John was on fire last night. The energy on stage was electric and palpable. The crowd cheered with recognition as each song began. We know his music, and we're not afraid to sing along.

There were surprises, too. John played a guitar intro to "Cry Love" that we've never heard, and he sang the last encore of "Have a Little Faith in Me" while he played guitar instead of the usual keyboard. No complaints about the missing keyboard; the back-up band was a fair trade.

Ken and I discovered the singer John Hiatt in 1994. Unknowingly we had been listening to his songs for years, songs sung by a variety of artists. One night at dinner Ken and I wondered if the other had heard the song "Perfectly Good Guitar" on the radio. Yes! The song was enjoying air play on our favorite station, and we listened for more music by John Hiatt. We were not disappointed when we heard "Walk On" and "Cry Love." The purchase of CDs followed, and we attended our first John Hiatt concert in 1995.

Last night was an evening to remember. It may well be the highlight of our summer. And the best thing? We have his music on CD to keep us in tune until his next concert.