..so said Jackson Browne.
Someone had requested Running on Empty, which he says he has a hard fast rule that if someone requests that, he has to play it, and then he played Take It Easy. And he forgot, some of the lyrics. He stopped and said to us, "Who forgets the words to Take It Easy?" He had the most charming startled look on his face! He gets such a kick out of himself when he does these things. He never loses that friendliness and charming way he always is when he wants to show bits of his real self to the crowd.
Last night in Melbourne, Florida, Jackson Browne bedazzled another crowd with his charm, wit and musical abilities. And this night featured a most unusual beginning.
I've seen Jackson several times in the 10 years I've been a fan and never have I seen this happen:
He comes out onto the stage to the applause and hoots and whistles of the crowd, and the pre-concert music is still playing over the speakers, the crowd is still applauding, Jackson gets his guitar, waves hello, and sits down in a chair,
and the music kept playing ...
and playing.
Jackson smiled at the audience, signaling in every direction to anyone backstage or in the sound booth, while still smiling, that he had no sound ...the canned selected special of the venue kept playing.
Alas, as always, Jackson is so cool. He laughed. Then, he leaned back in his chair really relaxed, with his guitar positioned like a lucky puppy, as if he was just hanging out with the rest of us listening to the pre-canned selection. We all laughed and applauded. He finally had to get out of his chair and walk back stage before it got fixed. He came out again ...and the crowd went wild. Absolutely wild.
He opened with Barricades. It seemed very softly. But, that didn't dictate how the rest of the evening would go.
I find it tough to write a review as I am there as a fan. It is like no other experience for me. I love it. And I want to experience it at all the levels and remember it all and then come home and write about it, too. It's like you don't want to miss any of those nuances, and you want to share them at the same time with the same flavor that you are feeling them because you are just tingling because this is just so cool to you. I mean like real pleasure, like dark chocolate or a fine wine, and you need time to feel that feeling for as long as you can before you release it. Okay, so -- I'm nuts, whatever --
I want to tell the best I can remember of what happened.
The set list - which is in no perfect order -- which, of course, put my tale of this night in no perfect order, as well.
Barricades of Heaven
I'm Alive
Something Fine - yeah, he told that story about how he was staying at the place in England and that girl was staying there, and how they yadda,yadda, yadda, and then sang the song really soulfully. I decided, if I was his girlfriend, I maybe didn't like that girl ...
Peaceful Easy Feeling - This was one of those priceless stories. Jackson said he was searching around on You Tube for videos of himself. And he saw one where he sang this song. And he said to himself, something like, "I don't sing this song,? do I know this song? "and he found about 25 You Tube clips where he is singing this song and apparently messing it up. And he says, "I know this song, I do know this song". And then he sang it really well. (I do think he messed up the words a bit, though, but hopefully, we will all find this whole clip on You Tube!)
Actually, he did mess up some lyrics in a few songs, more than I have ever seen him do, although he still sang really well. I have read a few cross comments from people who get annoyed that he has messed up lyrics. Well, sorry, I am not one of them -- He has written a lot of freaking songs. You try to sing 24 songs in a row and don't mess up a thing and still be charming and steal the show -- good luck with that.
Looking Into You
Alive in the World - He said to some guy,' you keep asking for this, so' ...and he sang it. Very well.
Willin' - A song by Little Feat - Before this song he told a story about how he had met Lowell George and how a beautiful woman had introduced him to Lowell and how he really wasn't interested in Lowell at all, he just kept thinking about how he could get with this girl. So, he said to Lowell, "yeah, hey", and diverted himself back to the girl. He said Lowell was their drug dealer. I have no idea about this being fact or what ...
And some people were confused as to what song this was, and Jackson said with total resolve, like anyone who didn't know this song, didn't know much, "This is a great song. Everybody knows this song"--right in the middle of the song. (I felt silly because I didn't know the song!)
Muhammad's radio
Shape of a Heart
Pretender
Everyman
--Now I have to tell you, when he sang like those 4 I just mentioned, it was like being in church! Matter of fact, his voice was so good, you were certain there were spiritual parts. Everyone around me was commenting on that fact that Jackson's voice was really great that night--
Going Down to Cuba - he talked about the time he went there as a representation of a religious group. Now, I've only heard this story from Jackson, so I can't give you details. But he makes sense that we should be able to talk to other people in other countries about our ideas. I'm sure it's all much more complicated than I really know.
Just Say Yeah a song about my girlfriend (He said this like this was the title)
Rock Me on the Water - I think it was during this song that the keyboard stopped working. He was pushing the pedal and asking, 'can you hear that? can you hear that?" And nobody could, so these two guys came out from the left and the right, I'm not sure what they were doing, and he was doing stuff, and then it worked, they left and he said, "I fixed it." We love this stuff. More applause.
Shaky town - a roar from the crowd almost a standing ovation - did a great job. Loved "that's a big 10-4 from your back door, just put that hammer down..." He made this song sound like one you really should like.
Rosie
Birds of St Marks
Take it Easy -- as I said earlier, this was one of the songs that the lyrics got a little fuddled up, and he said that quote, "Who forgets the words to Take it Easy?" Then, after he messed up on the rift part, the song got really long, and I think he forgot the 'wooooo, woooo, wooo" part at first, which is the part that really important to him, as I remember at one concerts he said the Eagles don't give you the 'wooo wooo wooos" and he got back on track and we did a whole lotta 'woooo wooo, wooos" I don't think I've ever done so many at a concert before.
He also talked about how he stopped playing TIE for awhile because he didn't want people thinking he was playing an Eagles song.
Running on Empty
Doctor My Eyes
Linda Paloma
Here Come Those Tears Again - When he sang this, the arrangement was a little different. He said this was really a country song and that he had just recorded it with Don Henley, but that he probably wasn't supposed to say anything about that.
Sleeps Dark and Silent Gate
Load Out - The Encore (longest Stay part I've ever heard. But I was up at the stage at that point, so fine with me. He encouraged the audience to sing on this.)
Back tracking a second: About 45 minutes in he said that we should take a short break. He explained that the way the theater is set up, it difficult to get in and out without disturbing anyone when you need to take care of things, "so let's take a break for those of us over 40".
His voice was a bit raspy. Des said it could be old age and I punched him in the arm. Jackson did have to stop on one song for a second and massage his throat but then kept going. His range and depth of range was impressive. He sounded really great is what I keep saying.
Somebody put a Gardenia up there while he was on break and when he came back he smelled it a couple of times (at first I thought he had an inhaler). He made a comment about how someone had put that there and that he really did like Gardenias.
One of the first things he said was about the Set List, "you guys know I don't have one, right?" Okay, so the concert's going on, he's running back and forth from this guitar to that guitar and sits down and then gets really quiet.
He says, 'it a weird thing, I have conflict with this." He said with all the calling out he really couldn't hear anybody, but then he'd think of a song, and grab a guitar; then he would hear a song someone called out, and he'd think, oh yeah, that's better, and then hear another, and he seems to have a problem making up his mind, and that really what he needed was for someone to just come up and whisper to him, (he cups his hands around his face) "play this song".
I told Des,' I'm right here, I could do that', and he looked sweetly in my eyes, and said, 'no'. He was smiling ... There was another time Des told me 'no', when Jackson was telling a story about when he was here last time and this guy came out on the stage to play with him, I think he said his name was Bill McCullugh and he was from Kiss-A-me. Which is really pronounce Kiss sim me,so the crowd corrected him, and Jackson says, "not Kiss A Me?" And I asked Des, 'could I yell out, you can Kiss A me?' and he said: No.
I may still remember some more things later, and I hope I do,
By the end of the show, I sure wasn't tired, and couldn't believe he had sung so many songs! I didn't wait afterward to maybe talk with him for a couple of reasons, one was Des was really tired, and also there was a guard at a gated area where the bus was, and another was that I just happened to be dressed the same as Jackson -- we were both in grayish shirts and blue jeans. So, dear Jackson will have to remain satisfied with the memory of talking with me last year after the Miami Show. He can probably live with that.
All in all, great show by an endearing singer/song writer who songs I love. Funny, charming stories, we love to hear, told by the person we want to hear them from. Makes me always look forward to the next time.
Yeah, Jackson Browne. He still does rock.
