Lyle Lovett and his Large Band • July 9, 2025 • Sandy Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
Lyle Lovett is known the world over as a renowned Country Music singer and songwriter. But to me, he is much more than that. I think he’s one of the more unique artists we have in this generation. Yes, he does sing Country. And so many of his hits have come under the Country Music genre. But he is versatile in a way that is so much different than his Country contemporaries. His voice and style are so unique. When you hear a song, you know it’s a Lyle Lovett song.
Lovett is a performer whom I hadn’t given as much attention to as I should have when he was at his peak. But as his career has reached legendary status, it’s been a pleasure to become more familiar with this one of one. Lyle Lovett and his Large Band stopped by Sandy Amphitheater on a day fitting of a Texas gentleman.
The appropriately named “Large Band” is filled with some of the most impressive musicians you’ll ever see. In fact, this might be the most talented band in the business. You have some instrumentalists who are also professors at major universities. Other musicians have toured and recorded with some of the biggest artists in Rock N Roll history and are on some of the biggest albums of all time. They opened the show with “The Blues Walk”, an instrumental that featured the immense talent of this band.
Lovett then made his way to the stage with the other vocalists. When the applause dissipated, he began the show with a couple of spiritual songs, “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour” and “I’m A Soldier In the Army of The Lord.” The latter had the crowd clapping along. I felt like I was in a tent revival somewhere in Texas. The tone was set for what would be a great night of music. The band and vocalists sounded so good and were interactive with the audience.
Lyle Lovett’s voice is so unique. The contrast of his voice with the smooth and soulful voices of his backup singers is a sound that gets me so hooked into Lovett’s shows. There’s no other sound like it. Lyle addressed the audience. “It’s wonderful to see you folks. That’s my favorite thing about playing in the summertime. You just look terrific.” He joked that being Lutheran, which has German roots, is fine with beer drinking. He then shared a funny saying, “You know why Lutherans don’t believe in premarital sex, it’s because it’ll lead to dancing.” The audience laughed, and we were on our way with the show.
While much of Lovett’s music is rooted in Country, some of his songs touch on the Blues and Jazz. The versatility of this band made it possible to cover the spectrum of music. “Here I Am” was a song mixed with music and spoken word. “Pants is Overrated” was a song that had such a great groove that it took me a minute to focus on the lyrics. So many songs had such interesting titles. Songs like “It’s a Naked Party”, “Pig Meat Man”, “Don’t Touch My Hat”, and “My Baby Don’t Tolerate” don’t exactly lead me to believe that these are great songs. But I enjoyed each one and fixated on the lyrics.
The audience was so engaged and hung on every word. I love seeing an attentive audience. Concerts are so fun and so different between which artist you’re seeing. But there is nothing like being at a show where the crowd is there to focus on the music and the musicians. This was that type of concert. Sure, people would get up to grab a drink or run to the restroom. But when they were back in their seats, they were locked in.
While I, of course, attended this show to see Lyle Lovett, I was also excited to see what I believe to be music royalty. I consider it an extreme honor to see Leland Sklar perform the bass guitar live. He has played on some of the most iconic albums of our lifetime. Go take a look at Wikipedia at Sklar’s discography. You’ll be amazed and blown away. The list is too long to mention here. But he performed and recorded with the likes of James Taylor, Phil Collins, Linda Rhondstant, and so many more.
Seeing Leland Sklar perform with drummer Russ Kunkel was a real treat. They began playing together in 1970 with James Taylor and have recorded and performed together off and on since then. Two major legends in the rhythm section of Lyle Lovett’s Large Band. It was an honor to see them. It was fun to watch people meeting and shaking hands with Sklar after the show. If you bought his book he would sign it and have a conversation with you. It was great to watch.
Lyle Lovett played crowd favorites like “If I Had a Boat” and “Nobody Knows Me”. Songs that are part of what made him the star he is today. He joked that his first album, which came out in 1986, seemed “like almost a long time ago.” He seemed very introspective about his career, his children, and loved ones. Lyle’s banter with his band was a lot of fun to watch. It was obvious that they really like each other and enjoy playing together.
I really enjoy seeing Lyle Lovett in concert. He’s someone whom I didn’t know if I’d enjoy when I first saw him a few years ago. But I’ll make it a point to see him when he comes to town. The night ended with the uptempo, “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas). The standing ovation said it all. It was a great summer evening with a Country Music legend and his band filled with exceptional musicians.