This was an evening of celebrity ­minimalism in a maverick country style. There was no backing band, and just two (later three) chairs on stage. Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt walked on together, ­carrying acoustic guitars, smartly dressed, with Hiatt even wearing a tie. They may be master songwriters who have broken down the boundaries ­between country, rock and jazz, but they sounded as if they were swapping songs at a party.

The format was simple. Hiatt sang and Lovett followed. ­Occasionally, they joined in on each other's songs, adding harmony or guitar work, and acted as if they hadn't a clue what was coming next. There was so much ­banter and storytelling that one heckler ­suggested they should get on with the music. He needn't have worried, for they settled down for a two-hour set with no breaks.

Lovett had the better voice, Hiatt the better songs. Normally backed by a gutsy electric band, here Hiatt strummed and picked furiously as he revived ­Riding With the King, the 1983 song made famous by Eric Clapton and BB King, before moving on to the ­driving Master of Disaster, Memphis in the Meantime and Thing Called Love. Lovett countered with lighter, more ­personal songs such as She's Already Made Up Her Mind, and the witty, jazzy She's No Lady. The ping-pong act was getting just a little predictable until they brought on Joe Strummer's favourite country star, Joe Ely, who still looks like a Texas rocker. There were now three great guitar-playing singer-songwriters on stage, but the best song of this intriguing night was their stirring ­harmony revival of Woody Guthrie's Blowing Down That Old Dusty Road.