Acoustic

The son of a Life journalist, a school boarder in Delaware (where he was friends with an adolescent Liza Minelli) and a singer of intense, often sardonic songs that pitches him somewhere between Tom Lehr, Bob Dylan and James Taylor, Loudon Wainwright III (right) is someone who loves music but who dislikes the music business. Maintaining a careful balance between spiteful wit, intelligent whimsy and extreme poignancy, Loudon has managed to carve out a successful longterm niche in singer/songwriter territory, despite the obvious commercial considerations. His daughter, Martha, joins him on this tour. Always a safe bet for an evening of laughs and neuroses, Loudon Wainwright III plays Belfast's Waterfront today and Dublin's Vicar Street tomorrow.