Kathy Mattea played the Historic Rialto Theater in Loveland Thursday night. The Grammy award-winning vocalist admittedly loves the more intimate venues and the closeness with her crowd. The Rialto, a 98 year old, elegant little theater was the perfect venue for her providing that up close and personal experience for her fans.
She has dubbed this tour “The Bill and Kathy Show” with her long time guitarist, Bill Cooley joining her on stage. She pointed out that unlike traveling with a full band, when it is just her and Bill, she is the second best guitarist on stage!
She talks to her fans as if they are old friends and tells fascinating stories about incredible artists she has known. She speaks of guitars passed down from the legendary Hank Williams to Johnny Cash to Marty Stewart and songs whose lineage trace back to Mabell Carter. There is no doubt that Kathy Mattea knows and appreciates the history of her craft.
Kathy and Bill hit the stage with her 1986 hit “Evening” from Walk The Way The Wind Blows. Perfect choice to start what was indeed a magical evening. She played many old favorites while mixing in some tunes that she confessed, “she just felt like singing.” She captivated the audience and took them for a ride with ‘Love At The Five And Dime’, ‘Goin’ Gone’, ‘Eighteen Wheels’, ‘Come From The Heart’ and ‘455 Rocket’. Her Grammy winning song, ‘Where’ve You Been’ never fails to grab listeners by the heart. It was a night of good feelings, good memories and an outstanding musical performance.
She played several different guitars throughout the night and even picked a banjo for a bit as she serenaded us with some “Appalachian Music.” Her signature black acoustic guitar is worn from the years but still sounds as sweet as ever.
Kathy wholeheartedly promotes the healing power of music and encouraged her fans to sing along which she said at times, sounded like a choir coming back at her. Her passion for music and her positive outlook is contagious. She seems to leave everyone feeling a little better by the end of the show. She stayed after the show for a casual Meet & Greet visiting with her loyal fans and posing for pictures. Kathy Mattea’s strong, beautiful voice and her knack for picking such universally relatable songs is as it has always has been, second to none!
If you have the chance, I would recommend checking her out when she plays in your city. Worth every bit of your time to do as well. With four dates left on the tour, you may just get lucky enough to catch one of them! Click here to find out where those remaining four dates will be!
As always thanks for the read and stay tuned for more from Xposer Magazine!
Written by Melissa Polk
Photos by Melissa Polk
