The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

John Hiatt dug into a 30-year-deep catalog of classic songs in a solo acoustic set at Sisters Starry Nights on Saturday, March 5.

Churning out chunky rhythm on a Gibson J-200 jumbo guitar, propelled by the steady thump of his left foot micced on the stage, Hiatt proved that he can rock plenty hard all by his lonesome on rave-ups like “Tennessee Plates” and “Memphis In the Meantime.”

The singer-songwriter also seeded his second Starry Nights appearance with ballads, some performed on piano, some fingerpicked and accompanied by harmonica.

The ballads produced some of the most moving moments of the evening. Guitar ace Benji Nagel joined Kelly Cundiff to accompany Hiatt on “Through Your Hands.”

Student performances are a tradition at Starry Nights and Hiatt acknowledged that “that’s what we’re here for tonight.”

Hiatt has worked with students in other contexts, including a songwriting workshop at the Hyde School in Maine, where his daughter is a student.

“I just think it’s important to pass something you know on to kids,” he told TheNugget.

Hiatt noted from the stage that his songs change in meaning for him as his life changes and events shape the world. That had a personal element for the singer Saturday night.

Hiatt is heading to Los Angeles this week for long-awaited back surgery. He was in significant pain Saturday night and he said that thinking about his wife’s support for him through this health crisis made his finale, “Have A Little Faith in Me,” especially meaningful.

“I was almost crying while I was singing it,” he said.

Hiatt expressed great appreciation for the hospitality he and his family found in Sisters and said he thinks Starry Nights is an example that should be re-created in other schools.

“It only takes a couple of people to inspire people to do great things,” he said. “I encourage people to get active. You can change situations.

“There’s no reason you can’t do that in every community in the United States.”

Oregon guitarist David Jacobs-Strain opened the show for Hiatt with a short, blues-soaked set. Jacobs-Strain, who has a thumb like a jackhammer, dazzled the crowd with his finger-picking virtuosity.

One audience member said she closed her eyes and would have sworn there were three guitarists on stage.

Sisters Starry Nights continues next month on April 2 with a performance by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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