John Hiatt @ Wolf Trap

John Hiatt with North Mississippi Allstars
Wolf Trap, Vienna, Va.
June 28, 2005

Sporting a yellowish-green short-sleeved shirt, light brown slacks and white loafers, his hair ever so slightly slicked back, John Hiatt's attire was casual. When he took the stage at Wolf Trap on Tuesday night, he ready to get down to business.

Hiatt looked somewhat avuncular, but only in the coolest sense, while leading the North Mississippi Allstars through 17 songs culled from his new album, "Master of Disaster," and his back catalog. In your family, he'd be that favorite uncle who still listens to Zeppelin and the Stones.

Only three months after undergoing back surgery, the 53-year-old Hiatt looked fit and fired-up. Perhaps he felt challenged to keep pace with his considerably younger backing band. If so, he was up to it.

The Allstars – guitarist Luther Dickinson, drummer Cody Dickinson and bassist Chris Chew – have only been around since the late '90s, but because of their prowess they carry considerable cachet in blues, rock and jam-band circles. It doesn't hurt that the Dickinsons' father is Jim Dickinson, who seems to have worked with everybody who is anybody in the past 40 years. He produced "Master of Disaster," which Luther and Cody played on as well.

Hiatt has been touring solo for a couple of years, but the return to the band format looked like a perfect fit. The Allstars, who also served as the opening act, breathed new life into some of Hiatt's songs. The first-rate material also brought out the best in the band.

They began with "Your Dad Did," a staple of Hiatt's live sets. Since the release of the album from which it came, "Bring the Family," in 1987, Hiatt has been firmly entrenched as one of America's premier rootsy songwriters. He finds many of his best songs while mining the fertile ground that is coming to grips with maturity. "Your Dad Did," certainly set the tone for the evening, reestablishing Hiatt as one of Americana's elder statesmen and bringing forth the first of many soulful guitar solos from Luther Dickinson.

By the second number, "Cry Love," from 1995's "Walk On," Hiatt was loose as a goose and ready to stretch out, throwing the spotlight over to Chew for a short but funky bass solo.

They got to the new material early and revisited it a few times during the night, playing "Find You At Last," "Master of Disaster," "Ain't Ever Goin' Back," "Love's Not Where We Thought We Left It" and "Cold River" from the new disc. New tunes comprised about a third of the show, and that probably was about the right amount. Many of the new songs are somber, and this band clearly could rock. Hiatt knew what he had under the hood, and wasn't afraid to give it a little gas. An experienced showman, Hiatt also played to the crowd, making reference to Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton, two guitar luminaries from the D.C. area who were gone long before their time, during "Master of Disaster."

Hiatt has had more than one talented slide guitarist by his side. Ry Cooder played on "Bring the Family." Sonny Landreth is a member of Hiatt's sometimes-backing-band The Goners, and contributed silky, lyrical slide work on 1988's "Slow Turning" and 2003's "Beneath This Gruff Exterior." Dickinson boldly took his place in this lineage, earning the praise of the crowd with searing, melodic slide solos. Maybe it was the hair, or the Les Paul guitar, or even the glass slide in combination with the tasty, bluesy licks, but Dickinson definitely evoked the memory of Duane Allman. Granted, this compliment should not be thrown around lightly, but Dickinson earned it time and time again, soloing brilliantly on "Master of Disaster," "The Tiki Bar is Open," "Ain't Never Goin' Back," "Memphis in the Meantime," "Riding With The King," and "Slow Turning."

Dickinson can play it more than one way, though. On "Thing Called Love," which brought an armload of Grammys to Bonnie Raitt, who is no slouch with a slide, Dickinson put the glass away and tore through a bluesy solo that helped remind people it was a great song before Raitt's definitive cover.

Hiatt even strapped on an electric guitar and got the band into full Stones mode on his gritty tale of alcohol abuse, "Paper Thin." The unit was at its best when it got a chance to stretch out, which was no surprise given the Allstars' ability to jam. Aside from "Paper Thin," "Real Fine Love," "Memphis In The Meantime," "Riding With The King," and the closer, "Slow Turning," really benefited from the full-band format.

Fans around the U.S. are in for a real treat when this tour rolls into their town. Hiatt, who showed off his surgically repaired back with Elvis-like hip-swiveling during "Riding With The King," is clearly energized by fronting this talented band. He's performing like a man 20 years his junior. The Allstars are adding virtuosity to already great songs, and hopefully becoming better writers if only by osmosis. Undoubtedly both parties will be better for the pairing even after they return to their separate paths.

Setlist
1. Your Dad Did
2. Cry Love
3. Find You At Last
4. Master of Disaster
5. Real Fine Love
6. The Tiki Bar is Open
7. Ain't Ever Goin' Back
8. Love's Not Where We Thought We Left It
9. Is Anybody There?
10. Paper Thin
11. Cold River
12. Memphis in the Meantime
13. Riding With The King
14. Thing Called Love
Encore
15. Have a Little Faith in Me (Hiatt solo; piano)
16. Feels Like Rain
17. Slow Turning