Lyle Lovett and his big band play ACL Live for their 50th anniversary

Legendary Texas songwriter Lyle Lovett is here just for fun – as always – and it looks like he'll be joining his Large Band at a series of shows in his home state from October 15th to 22nd. Two of these back-to-back ACL Live sets on October 20th and 21st will be happening right here in Austin.

“Each of these (Texas) shows feel like hometown shows in a way,” says Lovett, who comes from an unincorporated community called Klein north of Houston. “To finish off a year's worth of work on the road, to be able to do that at home… and have friends and family come to the shows – to have the audience mostly full.” People you know – that's just a great feeling .”

People across Texas would certainly like to call Lovett their own neighbor, despite the tight geographical restrictions. His story is as local to Texas as it gets; He began performing at age 18 when he came home from college and eventually landed a two-year residency of sorts with the Texas pizza chain Mr. Gatti's.

The restaurant happened to have a rotating music program at its College Station location, near Texas A&M, where he earned a degree in speech and journalism. While he didn't necessarily intend to make music his career, he certainly didn't want to rush into other work either. In other words: have fun.

“I just enjoy the things I get to do. Making music for a living is a privilege,” says Lovett. “The opportunity to work toward something you want to do, something you are naturally drawn to, is such a blessing. So many people work jobs that make them look forward to the weekend, and I've always felt very fortunate that the public allows me to do something I enjoy doing every day of the week.”

A new era
However, for the past seven years he has been enjoying something else and now spends more time at home than anywhere else: being a parent. Instead of stopping by for a good time, as some touring artists have to do, Lovett is able to experience the daily rhythm of family life, from ferrying the kids back and forth from school to getting to know their favorite music.

Instead of supporting musicians he would happily accept, he listened to their tastes and discovered new musical areas. For example, the 66-year-old country artist is now familiarizing himself with K-pop.

“There wasn’t a phase of her development that I didn’t like,” says Lovett. “Who they are doesn’t seem to change, but how they learn, what they learn and what their interests are change regularly. And it's just fun to keep up with their interests… Their observations become deeper and… “It's just fascinating to me to watch how they develop, how their minds develop, how their tastes develop… and just watching them grow and learn.

Considering that Lovett is known for his witty writing and insights into the truths that emanate from the people around him – and considering that these strengths likely stem from the same reason as his interest in journalism – it shouldn't be surprising that he is enthusiastic about his children' development, or that he loves college students.

Lovett said after a stint at the University of North Texas in April this year that the students made him feel like “the world is a good place.” He also has some ongoing ties to his alma mater, particularly the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, and his band features two college professors: UNT's Brad Leali and Georgia Institute of Technology's Mace Hibbard, both notable saxophonists .

He admires the commitment of the music students and the clarity with which they pursue their goals. But he does not seek to overly intellectualize the impact of art on a person's learning. For Lovett, it's all about the feeling – the emotional expression and immersion.

50 years of ACL
In fact, the immersive element is one of the reasons he thinks so Austin city limitsthe TV show, reached its 50th anniversary today, October 17th.

A teenage Lovett was among the Texans at home watching the first broadcast, and he has performed show tapings and Moody Theater shows many times since. In 2019, he became a member of the ACL Hall of Fame and in 2022 (or maybe earlier – but who's counting?) he was the second most inductee, right behind the great Willie Nelson. Of course, that means he'll be part of the special Primetime Anniversary taping on November 21st. (This is separate from the 50th birthday party on the anniversary itself.)

“Before I ever acted on the show, I knew (producer) Terry Lickona and (director) Gary Menotti through my friend Wayne Miller,” Lovett says. “I was recording all the time before I was ever on the show… I'm not sure if that was a benefit of doing the show, but it was fascinating to see the production. And so, being a part of it.” “Austin City Limits feels like home to me and I'm honored to be part of the 50th anniversary recording.”

Even when the cameras are turned off, the venue retains its magical atmosphere. Audience and artists alike knowledge Who else was on that stage and how many people were completely engrossed in it. The footage works almost the same way, with little evidence that a television show is on – apart from Lickona's introduction and the constant repositioning of the cameras.

“What’s great about it? Austin city limits is… as good as it gets with a television appearance, you have the chance to see what the artists are really like,” says Lovett. “When (on) Austin city limits In contrast to typical television recordings, the actor is not interrupted. You just do your show from start to finish, whatever you want to do, and they record it… They don't necessarily fit what you do into their format; They adapt what they do to what the artist does. And in that sense you have the chance to see a real performance.”

He concludes: “I think that's one of the reasons the show has been successful for so long – because of its authenticity.”

Austin visitors can catch Lyle Lovett and his big band at ACL Live at the Moody Theater on Sunday, October 20th and Saturday, October 21st. Tickets ($59.50-$125) are available now at acllive.com. The rest of Lovett's touring schedule (which does not always include his Large Band) is available at lylelovett.com.