LIVE: Lyle Lovett & His Large Band @ The Egg, 11/3/09

You know it’s a strange and wild ride when a performer steps into the spotlight to kick off his show by singing, “I’m gonna choke my chicken/choke my chicken/choke my chicken til the sun comes up.” And then he wraps it all up two and a half hours later with the glorious gospel of “Church.”

But, on the other hand, you probably wouldn’t expect anything less from an eccentric singer-songwriter like Lyle Lovett.

In support of his new “Natural Forces” album, Lovett rode into The Egg with a truly wailing incarnation of his Large Band. Ten musicians strong, the band featured super session stars Russ Kunkel on drums and the magnificent Dean Parks on electric guitar.

The backing vocal section was another all-star aggregation featuring Willie Green, Jr., Sir Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson. You want soul? Oh, you got it…

It was a knockout show. You can read my review in the Times Union.

LYLE LOVETT & HIS LARGE BAND SET LIST

Farmer Brown/Chicken Reel
It’s Rock & Roll
Here I Am
I Will Rise Up
Penguins
Cute as a Bug
Empty Blue Shoes
Bohemia
Sun and Moon and Stars
Whooping Crane
No Big Deal
The Truck Song
If I Were the Man That You Wanted
LA County
Natural Forces
Loretta
Pantry
Up in Indiana
If I Had a Boat
I’ve Been to Memphis
That’s Right
Ain’t No More Cane
ENCORES
My Baby Don’t Tolerate
Church

If you missed Lovett at The Egg (or if you just want to see him again), the Long Tall Texan leads his Large Band into the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston on Sunday (November 15).