John Hiatt - Live From Austin TX (2005)

Released in 2005, the John Hiatt installment of the LIVE FROM AUSTIN TX series (which features recordings made for various broadcasts of the famed TV show Austin City Limits) presents the singer/songwriter live in concert during late 1993. Hiatt is supported by musicians from alt-rock bands School of Fish (guitarist Michael Ward) and Cracker (drummer Michael Urbano and bassist Davey Faragher), giving his wry narratives, mostly drawn from the album PERFECTLY GOOD GUITAR, a solid foundation and an added dose of youthful energy.

John Hiatt was touring behind his self-described "midlife crisis album," 1993's Perfectly Good Guitar – on which he teamed up with a raucous (and noticeably younger) rock & roll band for backup – when he appeared on PBS' venerable music series Austin City Limits to tape a set with his young guns in tow. Live from Austin, TX documents the full 74-minute show Hiatt and his band played that night, with Hiatt and School of Fish guitarist Michael Ward giving the tunes plenty of six-string firepower, and drummer Michael Urbano and bassist Davey Faragher holding down the backbeat with lots of muscle. While Hiatt the vocalist has always been something of an acquired taste, here he gives the songs as much blues-charged bellow as he can offer, and the truth of the matter is he sounds like he's having a great time. He also seems willing to stretch out the songs as far as they want to go, and one might argue that "Your Dad Did," "Something Wild," and "Thing Called Love" didn't need to be stretched out to six minutes and change each. But Hiatt the songwriter has always commanded attention as one of the best tunesmiths America has to offer, and here he delivers 14 good to exceptional songs with plenty of heart, soul, and sweat. If this disc is pretty atypical for Hiatt these days (not to mention that this tour was already documented on the album Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?), it's still good fun for fans and proves the man knows how to rock out when he's of a mind. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi





Track Listing

01. Icy Blue Heart
02. Loving a Hurricane
03. When You Hold Me Tight
04. Your Dad Did
05. Straight Outta Time
06. Memphis in the Meantime
07. Something Wild
08. Have a Little Faith in Me
09. Buffalo River Home
10. Thing Called Love
11. Angel
12. Tennessee Plates
13. Slow Turning
14. Perfectly Good Guitar

Recorded December 14, 1993

Personnel

• John Hiatt - Vocals, Guitar
• Davey Faragher - Bass, Vocals
• Michael Urbano - Drums
• Michael Ward - Guitar, Vocals






Many thanks to the original uploader: karlll

SEE also:
John Hiatt 2005 Live At Full House Rock Show [DVD]
John Hiatt featuring Kelly Wills 2006 Thing Called Love [DVD]