Avalon Ballroom Theatre
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Lyle Lovett tickets went on sale for the theatre at Fallsview Casino in Niagara months ago. I grabbed four, with an eye towards taking my parents and girlfriend. With a show date right near my birthday and their 55th anniversary, it was a perfect summer day trip. We took the backroads and turned a two-hour drive into nearly three hours of relaxed sightseeing instead of traffic-laden monotony. Two lift-bridges, some sweeping views of Lake Ontario, and a fruitless search for a fruit market later, we made it.
After ditching the car in the busy downtown tourist area, we had dinner at a little Italian restaurant that my parents used to take me to…50 years ago when they would rent a cottage in nearby Crystal Beach each year! After a good meal and a nostalgic conversation about Niagara Falls, we headed for the casino. A slight detour to donate few dollars to the slot machines later, I sent my family into the theatre and waited for my media credentials.
After shooting, I joined my family and enjoyed a really splendid array of musical talents and genres. The dozen players on stage have almost all played with Lovett since the 80’s or 90’s, highlighted (to me) by vocalist Francine Reed and sax player Brad Leali.
The Large Band tour continues for a couple of months and then Lyle stays on the road with his Acoustic group until at least October.
Photos and Review By Jeff Ross
