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On The Road Again In 2009! A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch Loggins and Messina are one of the most thriving songwriting and performing duos of all time. In 2005, the pair teamed up for the first time in 30 years for their "Sittin' In Again" reunion tour. In 2009, they've hit the road again for a summer and fall run of dates that will hit 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
 Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina took the stage at Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center on August 21, 2009 and immediately had the audience revved up in a folk rock fervor with a one-two punch of two of their biggest hits. Armed with acoustic guitars the casually clad twosome, both sporting blue jeans with stylish black tops, ran through strong renditions of "Watching the River Run" and "House on Pooh Corner". The recent touring activity marks the unexpected and unlikely return of the most successful duo of the early Seventies - a group whose most enduring songs were so well crafted that they have never really gone away. At the same time, Loggins & Messina find themselves rebuilding the personal connection that was lost long ago. The concert in New York thrilled their fans and the two men seem to be happy for the regrouping as well. "This is less about a musical reunion and more about reuniting a relationship that's become more of a friendship than ever before," says Jimmy Messina of getting back together with his musical partner. Kenny Loggins agreed, saying, "It's funny how our separate journeys have somehow brought us back around, into each others lives again." Loggins and Messina first partnered up in 1971 when Messina was tapped to produce Loggins' first album. The former Buffalo Springfield and POCO standout's output with the younger singer/songwriter was so prolific that the scheduled solo Loggins album become the debut project "Sittin' In" by the newly formed group. Together, Loggins and Messina recorded six studio albums, which included popular singles such as "House at Pooh Corner," "Danny's Song," and "Your Mama Don't Dance." A signature song the pair has been playing on tour this year is a cover of The Beatles' "Two Of Us" -- from Kenny's recently released children's CD, All Join In. The catchy and quick-paced cover served to underscore the pair's newly realized recommitment to each other and to the fabulous Loggins and Messina band. Speaking of the band - Gabe Dixon reprises his role from the previous tour and he was energetic and engaging on piano and keyboards. Dixon is a solo artist in his own right who has been opening many of the shows with his own band. Dixon got an extended solo on "You Need A Man" - a song that also featured an amazing saxophone duel by Steve Nieves and Big Jim Wheeler that was - for many - the musical highlight of the show. The creative fiddle work by Gary Oleyar was also eye-opening on "Holiday Hotel" and "Be Free" which saw the violinist trading licks with Messina on guitar. The sound quality and production were top-notch throughout the evening's two-hour performance. The evening was highly entertaining for its musicianship that also featured several other spotlights on horn and wind instrumentation and a two steel drum attack during their rousing set-closing rendition of "Vahevala".
 Jim Messina himself was on double duty by making a cameo appearance with his former bandmates from POCO proving that it's never too late for anyone to pick up where they left off. The country rock pioneers were opening the three New York/New Jersey dates on the L&M tour and Messina joined them on the last song of their set for a version of his "You Better Think Twice". "Angry Eyes" was brooding with the stage bathed in crimson lighting. The song itself was urgent and forceful even though the two performers seem happier now together than they've ever been. "You know I spent years trying to leave Loggins and Messina behind me," Loggins jokes to Messina. "I guess being able to reconnect now is somehow proof that I did." Today, Messina, too, seems struck by the harmonic convergence and of the sound of their original band -- Al Garth, Jon Clarke, Michael Omartian, Merel Bregante, and Larry Sims. "All the forces came together to create one hell of a band," Loggins recalls. "We were very lucky." "I'm proud of this collaboration," says Loggins of the studio version of "Two Of Us" making this the first time Jimmy and Kenny have sung together on a record in over 30 years. As for hitting the road again, both men want to celebrate the past while leaving the future an open and intriguing question. "And the best news is, we had fun doing it, so who knows what tomorrow may bring?" Continues Loggins, "When people ask, 'What do you see coming for Loggins and Messina?' I see that we have an incredible second chance at actually having fun and celebrating who we were then and who we have become. I remember we were so tight at the beginning, our musical sensibilities were so connected, it's great to get to share those feelings again, with the clarity and compassion that 30-some years can bring." For both men the new tour represents what Jimmy Messina calls "a great and meaningful opportunity." Kenny Loggins adds "I'm especially looking forward to the L&M audiences. I love to see the good old friends from the 70's, and the ones we made in '05 too, as well as the friends I've picked up as a soloist along the way. This reunion proves to me that anything is possible. Now we get to see where it goes from here."
BETHEL WOODS SETLIST:
THE LOGGINS & MESSINA BAND: Related Links: For more information on Loggins & Messina and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- Loggins & Messina | BethelWoodsCenter.org
 (Originally Published on September 17, 2009) |
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