Loggins & Messina’s Brief 2022 Reunion Celebrated Their Legacy
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Jim Messina and Kenny Loggins
Loggins and Messina played the two rescheduled dates on Sept. 22 and 24, 2022, at the Hollywood Bowl for their brief on stage reunion with a 10-song set of favorites. Both were in fine voice as you’ll hear from the clips below. (The original dates on July 15 and 16 were abruptly postponed due to a positive Covid-19 case within the touring entourage.) Loggins and his band played another 13 songs; the pair of shows were billed as “Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina – Sittin’ In 2022.” The venue noted that these were the duo’s first Los Angeles concerts together in nearly 50 years.
It’s believed that the pair last performed in 2018 when they played a benefit concert. Before that, they did an extended tour nearly a decade earlier, “Together Again 2009.”
Loggins & Messina reunion at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 22, 2022
It was 50 years ago when Loggins & Messina played the Hollywood Bowl supporting their debut album Sittin’ In.
“How many years since we’ve been here? Fifty? You haven’t aged a bit.”
“What should we start off with?”
“Whatever we remember!”
Watch (from a distance) their set’s opening number
For “Danny’s Song,” Loggins added a new verse to the 1971 tune for his granddaughter.
Watch them perform “Angry Eyes” with those extended solos
Watch them perform a pair of classics as their encore
Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina – Sittin’ In Reunion, Sept. 22, 2022, Hollywood Bowl Setlist
Watching the River Run
House at Pooh Corner
Danny’s Song
Listen to a Country Song
Holiday Hotel
Lovin’ Me/To Make a Woman Feel Wanted/Peace of Mind
Be Free
Angry Eyes
Encore
Vahevala
Your Mama Don’t Dance
Thanks to Gretchen Cruz and ISIXOXISI for the videos.
Watch a performance from the 2009 tour
Both artists have separate performance schedules in 2023. Tickets to see Loggins solo are available here; Messina’s shows are here.
Loggins & Messina were one of the best selling musical duos of the 1970s. Their six releases between 1971 and 1976 (plus three live albums and four compilations) have sold 16 million copies.
While acting as producer/audio engineer for Buffalo Springfield, Messina ultimately joined the band as its bass player. When they disbanded in 1968, Messina and fellow bandmate Richie Furay formed Poco. With Messina on lead guitar, Poco helped define a new musical genre, country rock. After three successful albums, Messina, born Dec. 5, 1947, left to return to his passion for producing music, signing as an independent producer with Columbia Records.
In 1970, the label asked Messina to work with Loggins, a then-unknown performer. While helping him get ready for a record and touring, the two discovered that they worked well together and Messina agreed to sit in on Loggins’ first album. The pair’s Sittin’ In was released in 1971 and an accidental duo was formed.
Since Loggins & Messina broke up in 1976, Loggins, born Jan. 7, 1948, has released 14 solo records since then with more than 25 million albums sold, charted five top 10 singles, and won two Grammy Awards for “What a Fool Believes” and “This Is it,” and received one Academy Award nomination for “Footloose.”
Related: Listings for 100s of classic rock tours
Loggins has written his memoir, Still Alright, that arrived June 14, 2022, from Hachette Books. The award-winning singer-songwriter collaborated with author Jason Turbow.
From the book announcement: Loggins has released twelve platinum albums, and served as a pivotal figure in the folk-rock movement of the early ’70s when he paired with former Buffalo Springfield member Jim Messina. He recruited Stevie Nicks for the classic duet “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend,’” then pivoted to smooth rock in teaming up with Michael McDonald on their back-to-back Grammy-winning hits “What a Fool Believes” and “This Is It” (a seminal moment in the history of what would come to be known as Yacht Rock). In the ’80s, Loggins became the king of soundtracks with hit recordings for Caddyshack, Footloose, and Top Gun; and was one of the many superstar voices on the global hit, “We Are the World.”
In Still Alright, Loggins gives fans a candid and entertaining perspective on his life and career as one of the most noteworthy musicians of the 1970s and ’80s. He provides an abundance of compelling, insightful, and amusing behind-the-scenes tales. Loggins also addresses the challenges and obstacles of his life and work—including two marriages that ended in divorce; a difficult but motivating relationship with the older brother for which “Danny’s Song” is named; struggles with addiction; and the revelations of turning seventy—he turned 74 on Jan. 7—and coming to terms with his rock-star persona and his true self.
“Writing this book and piecing together the moments of my life has been a really eye-opening experience for me,” says Loggins. “It’s almost like therapy, to get to look at how honest I can be. How honest can I be about my motivations, my reactions to certain relationships and circumstances, what did I learn, and how did it affect my music.”
Related: Our Album Rewind of Loggins & Messina’s On Stage
Turbow is the author of several books on Major League Baseball. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and SI.com, among many publications.
9 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationIt is not their first Los Angeles shows in 50 years.
It was at the Hollywood Bowl.
Both great talents. R+R Hall should be ashamed.
The HOF is far too busy inducting such immensely talented rockers as Madonna, NWA, and Eminem to worry about Loggins and Messina. Right? Well, right?
Would really enjoy seeing Loggins and Messina tour again, but likelihood is probably minimal.
Jim Messina is indeed a great talent, (songwriter, multi- instrumentalist musician, recording engineer, vocalist, arranger, and producer) and highly overlooked, perhaps because of Kenny Loggins solo success (which Loggins rightfully deserves) and affable nature.
The early 70’s was such a creative and diversified era for the singer-songwriter, such as (but not to exclude anyone else) the talents of Kenny Loggins, Jim Messina, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Shawn Phillips, Michael Murphy, John Denver, etc.
“Sittin’ In” is a classic example of that era, along with Jackson Browne’s “For Everyman”.
3. Rabbit and Tigger are lost in the woods, and can’t seem to find their way out.
Christopher Robin asked Winnie the Pooh if he knew what the problem’s about.
Pooh answered quite slowly while scratching his head…
They wouldn’t be lost if they stayed home in bed!
So help them if you can…they’ve got to get back to the house at Pooh corner by one…etc
Their partnership and the times were in the coming of age for many middle Era baby boomers such as myself who lived through the times where music really mattered. The singer songwriter Era was very important in forging our identities with ourselves and others. The Beatles solo music lead the way with these folks close behind. It was a wonderful time to be alive!
Who was playing violin, mandolin and sometimes guitar last night with Kenny and Jimmy? Anyone know? He was superb, best on stage for the opening set.
Same question Capt Stratocaster.
Caught last night’s sweet (9/22) gig at the Bowl. Unfortunately, the duo neglected to introduce the band in in the first 1/2 of the show backing up Messina & Loggins.
Can someone provide the names of the talented pros who played?
Several memorable moments of nostalgia, talent & great music.