When your very first New Year's greeting of 2007 comes from a clearly joyous Lyle Lovett, you can't help but think good things are in store. Lyle and his Large Band (13 musicians and four vocalists) played two shows at Disney Hall on New Year's Eve. Someone in our group was among the hundreds of patrons who ignored the request not to shoot cellphone pix. Lyle and the guys rocked the house, a great show with some gospel, some blues, some bluegrass and a few of Lovett's lovely, quirky, wordsmith ballads. A terrific show, amazing music played with heart and soul, accompanied by some pretty good jokes. Midnight with Lyle - sweet stuff.

It's curmudgeonly to complain, I know. But Disney Hall's acoustics are so sensitive and fine that amplified sound seems to go haywire. It felt as though the music shattered, ricocheted off the curves and crevices and came down too loud, too bright. When things were quieter, Lyle's voice with just a cello and a guitar or two, you got a hint of all the texture and depth getting overshadowed. Still, I'd go again in a heartbeat.

Oh - and here's the start of the first sunrise of 2007. I wrestled that Canon SLR to a draw, managed to charge a battery and set the thing on automatic and voila.