Patty with Molly & Steve

This was Patty concert number 14 and 15 for daughter Molly and me (only 10 and 11 for wife Sue) and there was no doubt about it: the July 5 and 6 shows at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant Mich., were the best we've ever seen. Patty's voice is always superb, but somehow it's getting better. In addition, her eight-member band is, in my opinion, the best she's ever had. And, I'm sure this is not my imagination, but Patty Loveless gets more lovely with age.

This 2000 show offers something for everyone. There's the traditional country sound; there's the more rock-oriented side of Patty Loveless; there's blue grass that brings the house down. There's a touch of the pop too, and it's all blended together to rattle your emotions. I heard one woman, with wadded tissues in her hand, tell guitarist Jeff White after the concert that she'd never cried so hard in her life. Bet she laughed, sang and screamed during that concert too.

I don't know if the Soaring Eagle does this all the time or not, but they didn't fill up all the good seats with donors and dignitaries like so many places do. The real, honest-to-goodness fans were right down front and at this place, "down front" means being able to touch the stage. We were in row one both nights and, believe me, you knew when Patty Loveless looked you right in the eye. And you melted, of course. A guy next to us was celebrating his birthday and his group, which included his wife, had brought along a sign asking for a birthday kiss. When Patty had the crowd help sing along with Blame It On Your Heart, Patty held the microphone to this guy and he got all the words right. She give him a kiss right smack on the lips. The crowd went crazy and that fellow was in heaven the rest of the night!

I've always got a kick out of the attitude Patty shows when she sings "You Can Feel Bad," and that sassy, sexy side of her is more on display on this tour than ever before. It was apparent in "You Can Feel Bad," of course, but also very evident in Can't Get Enough," "That Kind of Girl," and others. She accused Jeff White of trying to steal a kiss when they sang "You Don't Seem To Miss Me." I love Patty's shy side too, but in the early days I thought she seemed a little too distant. Now she enjoys flirting with the audience and seems much more at ease. And the fans love it. These two audiences were, to my way of thinking, almost perfect – just rowdy enough, but at all the right times. We managed to get the song list off the stage floor (the cops are nice at the Soaring Eagle) and, according to the sheet, the show was scheduled for 75 minutes. It lasted an hour and a half, though. Patty sang three fewer songs than at the concerts Bruce and Dave saw. She didn't sing "On Down the Line" and she sang one less song from her new album and two, not three, blue grass numbers. She didn't sing "Two Coats," but did she and the band ever nail "Pretty Polly" and "Daniel Prayed!" She held that note for an eternity in "Pretty Polly," and Jeff White's contribution to that song would certainly make Dr. Ralph proud. About the band: Not only are these people great musicians, but they seemed to be having such a good time making their music.

Steve with Deanie and Carmella Billy and Molly

They talk to each other; tease each other, and laugh a lot. And, man, do they play. Becky gave me a message for niece Deanie last week. I was able to get her attention after Wednesday's show and passed the message along. "You must talk to her on the Internet," she said. She knew about EP, of course, and I told her something that is obvious by Becky's comments here: "Your aunt is pretty proud of you." Did I mention that Deanie played the heck out of that fiddle? I'll be sending a picture along. The two cute girls on the stage are Deanie and Carmella. The geek talking to them is me. We also got to say hi to Pete, the pedal steel player, Billy, the drummer (does anyone enjoy playing the drums any more than this guy?) and Jeff.

Speaking of drums, could I have a drum roll, please?

Yes, we met Patty! It was the third time for Molly and me and the first for Sue. (You might have read about our first meeting in the EP newsletter awhile back.) We didn't have backstage passes for the meet and greet after the show so we hung out near the bus in the parking garage after Wednesday's show. Band members said hi; a bus driver stopped to chat, and a driver pulled up in a long green limo. Yep, he said, he was there to pick up Patty. He showed us the inside of the vehicle. We waited awhile and eventually saw Patty leave the building and enter her bus. We waited some more and she finally came out of the bus, her hair pulled back in a pony tail. She was wearing jeans and a shirt. Other than the folks connected with the tour in one way or another, we were the only ones there. As Patty approached the limo, Molly called out her name. Patty looked, smiled and waved. She placed whatever it was in the limo, walked around to us, and she and Molly held their arms out and gave each other a big hug. "You're growing up on me," she said to Molly. I asked if we could have our picture taken with her and she said "Like this?" We said sure and she said sure and Sue took a photo of the three of us. The non-glamorous Patty is just as gorgeous as the glamorous one.

"I've still got that T-shirt you gave me," she said. That she would remember shocked and pleased us since we gave it to her years ago. Patty said she had seen us at the show and thanked us for coming. "We'll be there tomorrow too," we assured her.

We weren't the only ones who caught both shows, of course. One couple had just been to Wisconsin to see her and had driven several hours to the Michigan show. At Thursday's show, Patty said she saw some familiar faces from the night before, and thanked us all for coming back. She also thanked those in attendance who hadn't seen her show before and said she hoped she'd see them again in the future. After such a wonderful show, I'll bet she will.

Patty and the band stayed at the casino hotel and so did we. We saw several members of the band there said hi to Deanie and Carmella again on Thursday. Molly and Sue saw Patty walk through the hotel and leave on a quick shopping trip Thursday afternoon. Pretty neat stuff for addicted fans.

We decided we had invaded Patty's privacy enough, so we made no effort to get back to see her on Thursday. But the three of us couldn't resist walking down a hallway late Thursday night and looking out the door to see if her busses were still in the parking garage. The spaces were empty. "They're gone," Molly said. "This is kind of sad." I felt that way too. But we knew another audience would soon be enjoying wonderful music. And, besides, we were already making plans for our next Patty Loveless concert.