KENNY LOGGINS

KENNY LOGGINS

at Wolf Trap in Vienna VA – 21 July 2003

by Dawn! E. Robinson

for VocalMusician.com

You know, it occurred to me, during the KENNY LOGGINS concert at Wolf Trap on the evening of July 21 that, despite all of the wonderful songs he has written and recorded, the ones “they” will most likely play when he dies are “Footloose” and “I’m Alright”. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked those two songs when they were hits. But the bulk of his songbook is so much better than those two. And it seemed a shame to think that those two songs would be held up as the quintessential examples of his work. But, already I digress…

LOGGINS’ band this time around was much smaller than the one he used in two concert videos I had seen of his in the ‘90s. On this night he had a guitar, bass, keys & drums – of course he also played guitar. His show was a well-balanced blend of intense energy with a laidback stress-free vibe. LOGGINS’ vocals made effortless transitions from rock to gospel-inspired to smooth pop balladeer.

The band entered the stage one at a time beginning with the drummer. As LOGGINS came onstage last the band had jammed their way into the intro of “Breathe” from the Unimaginable Life CD.

Next was “Whenever I Call You Friend” which had a free form start. The body of the song was slower and funkier than the recording (with Stevie Nicks) and it ended on a perfect 5-part a cappella vocal with his band mates, as if to tell the boy bands out there to take note on what harmony singing is really about.

The intro for “Leap of Faith” drew huge applause as LOGGINS called out, “How many leapers have I got out there?!”

LOGGINS then talked about his new album It’s About Time which was released on August 19. After promising not to spend a lot of time on new material (and joking about other artists who do) he introduced his latest single, “With This Ring”, noting that after 13 years of marriage, he had finally written a “wedding song”.

Next came a Loggins-Messina set which included “Chain of Luck,” “Dixie Holiday,” “Wait A Little While” and “Pooh Corner” and during which he sat on the edge of the stage with his two guitar players. Then he introduced another new song, “The One That Got Away,” this time accompanied only by keyboard. This was followed by “Celebrate Me Home” with the full band.

Center stage was set like a living room. At this point in the show LOGGINS sat on the couch, playing acoustic guitar. In introducing “This Is It”, he talked about the writing process he had with Michael McDonald on this song: McDonald started out with “There’ve been times in my life” and LOGGINS replied “I’ve been wondering why” etc. They played this one also more laid back and funkier than the record.

Teasing the audience with the intro to “Your Mama Don’t Dance”, LOGGINS started singing the blues standard “Kansas City” – and WORE IT OUT, by the way – before continuing with “Your Mama Don’t Dance” and (the obligatory) “I’m Alright” which ended with LOGGINS singing Prince’s tune “Kiss” during the ending vamp.

“Conviction of the Heart” started off a cappella and was followed by “If You Believe” from the Leap of Faith CD which ended the show.

After an extended standing ovation, LOGGINS returned to do (the obligatory) “Danger Zone” and “Footloose” as an encore. A second standing ovation brought him back again for a flawless “Forever” for which he had only keyboard accompaniment for the verses, then was joined by the rest of the band. He seemed to hold the note on the last “Forever…!” well, forever before giving the cue for the band to come back in.

LOGGINS was in GREAT voice this evening - his range is as wide and full as ever and his tones were all clear as a bell. And he is his own musical director - he gave the band cues all night. Also, I really dig artists like him who alter their tunes when they play live. After all, people can stay home and listen to the CD. After seeing two videos of his live shows: Live from the Grand Canyon and Live from the Redwoods, it was REALLY cool to actually be in attendance at his live show.

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