I'll admit it. I hadn't given much thought, if any, to country rock duo Loggins and Messina over the past twenty years, at least not until a month ago when a friend purchased six tickets to their reunion show at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester. I got turned off by Kenny Loggins' Footloose pop of the 80's and I never fully recovered enough to explore the Loggins and Messina catalogue. Big mistake.
After playing on the last Buffalo Springfield album, Messina went on to form Poco, predecessor of the country rock sound that took southern California by storm with acts like CSN and The Eagles following in their footsteps. A few years later Messina gave up the road and was hired to produce new comer Kenny Loggins. Sittin In, the duo's first collaboration, was billed as a Kenny Loggin's solo album with Jim Messina. Loggins and Messina then went on to become the most successful duo of the early 70's recording seven solid albums in five years.
Last night at the beautifully renovated Hanover Theatre, the pair rocked their way through all the hits including a twelve minute jam on "Angry Eyes" highlighted by dueling saxes and a ripping organ solo by keyboardist Gabe Dixon with Messina providing some tasty licks on his Fender Strat. Loggins was in great voice appearing shy and humble as he let the confident Messina take and hold the reigns. And there lies the source of the duos success: they complement each other in ways that reach far beyond their musical abilities. Messina provides the seriousness and the edge. Loggins, in return, provides the buffer for that edge.
I went to the show to watch an obsessed friend drool over Kenny Loggins. I left with a new found appreciation for one of the great duos of the last thirty years.
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