Venue:
Royal Albert Hall
Date: 24/06/2017
Jackson takes the stage thankfully shorn of the huge beard he sported on the cover of 2008’s “Time the conquerer” from which album comes the opener, “Just say yeah”. This is followed by “The long way around” from 2014’s “Standing in the breach”. He’s clearly starting by doing new and doing political. The first set is dotted with political messages and references – a Cuban protest song here, a reference to Brexit or comparison between England (he means the UK) and Trump’s America there. But the band is glorious and the JB voice is in fine shape, if adopting the “two semitones down” technique entirely justifiable for a singer / songwriter legend in his 60s. From the first number Greg Leitz gives JB deity alumnus David Lindley a run for his money on lap steel, pedal steel and exquisitely phrased lead guitar. Other guitar duties are handled by Val McCallum who does the fast tricky stuff which would have been played by Danny Korchmar back in the day, swapping guitars like a juggler, until I could spot a pending country number as he grabbed his Telecaster or a rocker as he reached for the Gibson Firebird. He nails the country pickin’, the wailing rock stuff, the atmospheric shimmering playing on “I’m alive”, and he’s the son of “The man from UNCLE” hero Ilya Kuryakin, so he’s basically pretty cool.
On bass we have the magnificently named Bob Glaub, present on so many of my albums (and probably yours – check his stupendous biog) though I’ve never seen him play before.
Maybe it’s the fraught times or my state of mind but I found the political stuff tremendously moving…”Before the deluge” took on a horrible prescience for me and as Greg Leitz wailed those lap steel lines over the coda I found my eyes suffering from the dust. A perfectly judged “The Pretender” wrapped up set one, with its tale of the day to day grind, relentlessly treading water, whilst dreaming of a better future, hanging in the air.
Set two was consciously “old”, and fun. I mean, JB is never going to be a barrel of laughs, and the opening “Your bright baby blues” made me miss Lowell George all over again, though Leitz recreated his slide guitar solo perfectly. But the tone was more jocular as JB swapped banter with the audience and pondered requests before playing something completely different. A hush settled over the hall as Jackson took the piano and played the opening chords to “Late for the sky”… thankfully true to the album – there are some songs you don’t mess about with live. This was swiftly followed by “Farther on” with the oft celebrated couplet “don’t confront me with my failures/I have not forgotten them”, written when he was 16. Clearly a heavy dude even then.
The Hall, by this time, was cooking. Each number was met with gales of enthusiasm, requests were called and sometimes met. “Just play what you want” someone shouted. “Trust me, I always play what I want” quipped our hero. One of my all time favourites, “Sky, blue and black” acquires the atmosphere of a hymn as we sit soaking up the sheer beauty of the melody and flawless playing from the band. Then he drops into “Rock me on the water” and we all sing along like a Baptist church gathering. Jackson introduced “For a dancer”, telling us it was written for a school friend who was always a little on the sidelines, but was a great dancer, and, inevitably, died early in a fire. I’d always imagined it was about a old girlfriend, but this surprise revelation did nothing to dismiss its power – what a fantastic song.
He ends on a storming “Running on empty” – introduced with a “this is what I figure we’re doing in my country, and maybe in yours, too” – the band on magnificent form again, before an encore of “Take it easy”. “You’re gonna sing along aren’t you” he says, and we do. Conflating the Eagles version – all the ooooooh oohs which they added are in place, and a pseudo banjo part from Val, before morphing back into the version on “For Everyman” as we segué into “Our lady of the well” and finally close.
The audience:
The usual wrinklies who bought the classic 70s albums on vinyl when they came out, but an encouraging number of younger faces too.
It made me think..
I saw Jackson in his pomp in the late 70s and he was utterly brilliant, then again a couple of times since both solo and with a band – both times excellent (though, in my closeted mind, with no lap steel which is a crime TBH) so it was great to see him blow the roof off the Albert Hall with a storming band and a songbook few can rival. Running on empty? I don’t think so.
retropath2 says
Nice to hear he is doing band shows again. Solo, with a zillion acoustic guitars racked behind him, I found a bit worthy but dull. Would like to have seen this show.
duco01 says
Nice review, Twang. Sounds like a great show. I would’ve liked to have been there.
Just one teeny tiny thing: the classic couplet “don’t confront me with my failures/I have not forgotten them” is from “These Days”, not “Farther On”.
Twang says
Arrrgh of course it is!
Ralph says
I saw the Edinburgh show. Sounds like he’s changing the set list as he goes along which is generally a good thing. Did he play the Randy Newman cover?
Bingo Little says
My parents were at the London shows over the weekend and the exuberant “He’s playing Randy Newman!” text I received would suggest that this is indeed a regular feature.
Twang says
Yes he did play it.
Vulpes Vulpes says
Sitting here with my phones on listening to Hoy-Hoy! for the eighteen millionth time, and up pops Twang’s review of a JB gig complete with Lowell reference. I’m floored by how much I wish I had been there for this show; he’s another one of my all-time greatest heroes, and it’s always a bonus to remember that he’s still out there cutting rugs, unlike far too many of his peers.
‘scuse me while I wipe away a tear at the mere thought of hearing him sing and play Running On Empty.
You lucky bugger Twang; and thanks for a really great review. I hope some young whippersnapper person reads your review and investigates this man’s work as a result; they have a treat in store, and it’s our duty as older dudes to encourage such exploration.
I will be reaching for the fat slab of JB’s Asylum albums on my shelf when I get home tonight. Where to start? Probably has to be For Everyman, and we’ll see where we go from there.
Bingo Little says
Young (it’s all relative) whippersnapper here.
Been dragged to see Jackson Browne twice now by the parents (not this weekend, sadly), enjoyed it hugely both times. He’s no Young Thug, but he’ll do.
Moose the Mooche says
Ha ha! I was listening to Lycanthrope only last night.
Quite phedomedal.
Twang says
I think I’d go Saturate When Wet and work though. All superb!
Excitable Boy says
Saturate Before Using” surely? Great review. I saw him at the RAH on Sunday – another top show and a very refreshing change from all the garbage I’d seen on TVs from Glastonbury….
Vulpes Vulpes says
Twang has a secret Bon Jovi habit. Don’t let on that I told you.
Twang says
Damn – busted!
Carl says
We decided we could get better tickets for Edinburgh than we could for the RAH (indeed we did, centre of row 3) and combined the trip with a holiday in the Highlands.
I thought for the first time ever I had a song played in response to a request. I called for Barricades Of Heaven which he said he’d play after Piece Of The Pie. He actually started These Days, then stopped and said they’d play BoH. Hurray!
But I see from set-lists my request was coincidental and he’s played it in more or less the same spot every night.
Rock Stars! Boo.
Still it was a splendid gig and I’m sure we enjoyed it more than we would have had at the Albert Hall.
Also, the audience didn’t applaud when he sang the the “don’t confront me…” line as they did the last time he played there. I found that to be equally irritating and patronising.
Ralph says
But but … we were in the centre of Row 3! I got a bit fed up of the “requests” he’s not a jukebox and called out for him to play what he wanted to.
Carl says
More accurately, we were centre block, Row 3. We had the the four seats at the right side as you faced the stage.
I didn’t think such accuracy would be needed.
I hope you weren’t one of the four guys who made us stand up so the could squeeze through when the sensible thing would have been to walk round in front of the 1st row and take their seats from the other end.
Ralph says
Nope just me and herself. Pretty sure we behaved ourselves, no flash photography, no loud conversation during the show and polite conversation to our neighbours at the breaks
Twang says
You weren’t the one who sang along all the way through “Sky, blue and black” were you?
Ralph says
Certainly not!
Carl says
The JB Edinburgh show is available on BigO
http://www.bigozine2.com
It’s very good quality, especially as it is only MP3
Ralph says
Thanks for heads up. That’s me you can hear not singing!
Twang says
They didn’t applaud those lines in London. How annoying!
For the first set I was behind The Tallest Woman in London whose hair style can only be described as “crash helmet” so I could see JB at the piano but only glimpses on guitar. For the second set we moved forward a row to some spare seats which was a mile better.
Vulpes Vulpes says
Hair spray is flammable.
Twang says
😂
bungliemutt says
Every word Jackson Browne ever wrote in his prime was imbued with sheer poetry and meaning, all of which seems to have doubled in significance and poignancy as the years have rolled by. An artist we are so lucky to still have with us, who for me cannot put a foot wrong.
Markg says
I was lucky enough to see him at Vicar Street in Dublin,a much smaller venue ,and concur with the review above,he played a fantastic set and did 21 songs on the opening night of his stint there,what a back catalogue he has to choose from..great band!
niallb says
Great review @Twang (he said through gritted teeth.)
I had tickets for this, but have the most unique reason for missing it, sadly.
After the JB tickets arrived it was announced that the first man to walk in Space, Alexei Leonov, was coming to the UK. The little organisation that brings these heroes over here had managed to book a lecture and dinner…..on 24th June. We’ve seen JB, with full band, twice, and Leonov is 86 and never likely to come back to these shores. So we shelled out for the hotel in Yorkshire, and the tickets, and sold the JB tickets.
Two weeks ago, Alexei Leonov was taken ill and admitted to hospital. The organisers waited a few days but, reluctantly, had to cancel the trip, with full refunds. Thankfully, the man the Apollo astronauts nicknamed The Dude, (his capacity to demolish bottles of vodka is the stuff of legend) is now back at home, recovering.
So I thank you for the review @Twang. It sounds like a great gig.
*crawls into a corner*
Twang says
Great story, well told as ever Niall….sorry you missed it!
Peanuts Molloy says
Great review @Twang.
I’ve been a fan of Jackson Browne since I heard Jamaica Say You Will on Byrdmaniax in the summer of ’71. Terrible production, great song.
Some months later I was browsing in Durrant’s Record shop in Shrewsbury when I saw the “Saturate Before Using” LP. Bought it, heard him for the first time that evening and became a fan for life.
He is the only artist whose albums I buy, without fail, on the day of release. I first saw him at the New Victoria Theatre in London in December 1976 supported by Warren Zevon and have seen him many times since.
It will be nice if this celebratory thread can remain untainted (unlike your Steely Dan thread) by folks wanting to pop up to tell us how much they don’t like him.
Share the love!
Twang says
Ta Peanuts. Me too. I first heard “Late For The Sky” when it came out and have been a lifer since! Couldn’t agree more with your last point, but there are always haters. It is what they do.
Peanuts Molloy says
Yeah, but can’t they do it somewhere else?!
Anyway, here’s my favourite video. (And why hasn’t the magnificent Scott Thurston made his own album . . . )
Twang says
God I love that song.
The only thing which would have made the gig better would have been if he’d done “Of missing persons ” which would have had me blubbering.
ipesky says
Martin Scorsese gets it just right when ‘Late for the Sky’ drifts into the soundtrack of Taxi Driver with Travis at his most alone in his room about to foot and explode into violence.
Junior Wells says
A good review has you envious and this is one of them. Typically comes down here solo or one or two musicians, as so many do, due to the distance and associated travel costs, but I’d really like to see him with a band again.
By the comments so many people seem to have seen him on this tour and this is the first review – slackers 😉
Lodestone of Wrongness says
At his peak there was none better. Late For Sky and The Pretender were for a long while the soundtrack to my life. Haven’t seen him since Brighton around 10 years ago when in a swelteringly-hot Dome Mrs W was only awoken by the second encore…
Artery says
Went to the sold out show at the Symphony Hall, Brum last night. Not a favourite venue, but for once we had good stalls tickets, and at £46 not too expensive. Cheapest (rubbish) tickets for Van Morrison in November are 71 quid, so we decided not to go.
Jackson played a weird show last night. He forgot the words badly on the opening song and missed his cue to start singing Doctor My Eyes. The band were good but not great until Late For The Sky in the second half when suddenly everything came together and they were super-tight thereafter. Jackson’s singing improved drastically at that point too. I think Jackson’s tendency to respond to requests and change the set list at will didn’t help the band any. No These Days last night but I’m pretty sure we got a couple of rarities – has Lives In The Balance been a regular? Long show though: over two and a half hours. He was better when I saw him in 2003 or so, but very enjoyable nonetheless.
Carl says
The set list variation is a bit of an illusion. Check set-lists on the link below. There is not a whole lot of difference from night to night.
He knows pretty much which song he is going to play; he may invite requests but he knows what will be called for and he’s ready to go as soon as he hears a particular title shouted out.
Jackson Browne setlists
Artery says
I wonder if some of those set lists aren’t taken from copies of the printed on-stage lists, as the Symphony Hall set list printed does not include Lives In The Balance, yet he definitely sang it. However, it clearly wasn’t very off the cuff as it emerged in a fully fledged and clearly rehearsed band performance. The backing singer even got to sing a verse – certainly not an impromptu idea.
Neela says
As someone with no relation at all to Jackson’s music, and after getting curious from reading this, where should one start?
bigstevie says
I’m certainly no expert, and I’m not even a huge fan. My own fault really as i probably started with the wrong albums back in the mid 80s. Nothing wrong with “Lawyers In Love” and “Hold Out” but not enough to keep my interest when many other singer-songwriters were on the scene back then.
I have to admit I was totally blown away when my pal gave me a loan of the live album “Running On Empty”. JB probably isn’t in my top 10 artists, but that album is definitely in my top 10 albums!
Carl says
I’d suggest that you should go for Late For The Sky as a starting point.
It’s his third album and while the first two have their moments, I’m not knocked out by them. This was where he really stepped clear of the many and sundry singer-songwriters who emerged in the early/mid 70s.
If you’re still entranced then go for album 4 – The Pretender. Then pretty much anything except World In Motion.
Neela says
Have played Late For The Sky four or five times now. I like the songwriting, but the production seems a bit… grown up. Not that I was expecting Mötley Crüe.
It´s music to really listen to, rather than something to play in the background, very earnest in that seventies singer-songwriter style I was very much into ten years ago.
Maybe it will grow on me, it seems like that kind of album. Reminds me of The Eagles, which makes sense. I´m aware of their shared history and mutual influence. Will listen to Running On Empty next, on bigsteviecook´s recommendation.