PAT ON THE BACK
When one thinks of the always-inventive and distinctive guitarist Pat Metheny, it is generally of the great bands he has had (including the Pat Metheny Group with the late Lyle Mays on keyboards and the Unity Band with Chris Potter), his recordings with bassist Charlie Haden and guitarist John Scofield, and of his appearances with all-star groups. But when he appeared at Royce Hall for a 2 ½ hour set, it was quite a bit different.
Pat Metheny was the only musician onstage. While there were times when he used electrical devices that allowed him to spontaneously create parts that he soloed over, it was essentially a colorful one-man show. It is to his great credit that he never lost the audience’s attention.
Metheny started off with a medley of his compositions on acoustic guitar which he played at a relaxed and thoughtful tempo. He remembered Haden and the Beyond The Missouri duet album that they made together by playing a medley of tunes from the intimate project (including the bassist’s “First Song”). A brief departure from the quiet music took place when he suddenly switched to a thunderous free-form piece but then things calmed down when he played an orchestral number on his 42-string Picasso guitar. He performed a medley of mostly standards on the baritone guitar (including “Alfie,” “Rainy Days and Mondays” and “The Girl from Ipanema”), and then he jammed on a medium-tempo blues, adding other instruments including a rhythm guitar and a walking bass. Quite intriguing was the guitarist’s work with his Orchestrion, magically creating his own orchestra.
While Pat Metheny rarely speaks on stage, the night at Royce Hall was an exception. During the first half of the evening he talked quite a bit including about his early days, his period with Gary Burton, his memories of Charlie Haden, and the different guitars that he uses. I wish that he had continued talking during the second half for he did not say anything about his band with Lyle Mays or any of a dozen other interesting topics, but it was nice to hear him reminisce a bit.
Pat Metheny can always be relied upon to put on stimulating, virtuosic and surprising shows. That has been true of his performances during the past 50 years and it was certainly true of his solo night at Royce Hall.
photos by Jason Williams
Pat Metheny
Dream Box Tour (dates and cities here)
presented by CAP UCLARoyce Hall, 10745 Dickson Court UCLA
Sunday, October 29 at 7 pm
for more info, visit Pat Metheny