Some may have preferred a full-band show, but Browne charmed a sold-out crowd of concertgoers with his strong voice and down-to-earth demeanor. (Review, photo gallery)
Stories and Smiles: Jackson Browne dug deep for his career-spanning show at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Lance Wynn)
By John Sinkevics
LocalSpins.com
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Early in his career, Jackson Browne expressed a wisdom in his lyrics that was far beyond his years – the perceptive, insightful commentary of an artist already working at his peak powers well before the overwhelming commercial success and critical acclaim that followed.
At just 23 years old, his first hit single, “Doctor My Eyes,” told a sadly compelling, life-weary tale, the story of a much older man enduring a “slow parade of tears without crying.”
Another Sellout: Sunday’s crowd at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Local Spins)
Now, an incredible 42 years later, Browne really has “wandered through this world” to soak up life’s experiences while penning many more songs along the way – tunes filled with anguish, hope and incisive social commentary.
But it’s the music he wrote decades ago (covered recently by a host of high-profile artists in a Jackson Browne tribute album) that continues to resonate most strongly with audiences, especially with his own generation of fans, as evidenced by his sold-out concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Sunday night.
Indeed, that very first song from Browne’s hit catalog is the one that finally ignited the 1,900 or so concertgoers gathered on a near-perfect summer evening, finally getting them off of their duffs and clapping along precisely 1 hour and 40 minutes after Browne opened the show with a reserved rendition of 1993’s “I’ll Do Anything.”
BEING HIMSELF, TELLING TALES AND DEFYING AGE
In many ways, it’s an example of the risks inherent in performing a long solo show in front of a hefty crowd that includes folks who expect a rock-infused, full-band nostalgia blast but instead get a singer-songwriter accompanied on stage only by a line of 20-plus guitars and a grand piano.
In spite of his legacy, it can be tough holding the attention of an audience in an outdoor setting with all of its distractions for 2 hours and 15 minutes all alone (though guitar tech Manny Alvarez strapped on an electric guitar for “Doctor My Eyes”).
The 65-year-old Browne did it somewhat masterfully by being himself – a down-to-earth, engaging performer telling anecdotes about late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, The Byrds, his stepfather, a girl he met at a rock festival 40 years ago, the “embarrassing guitar opulence” of his stringed-instrument arsenal on stage and, well, aging.
No Set List: Browne switched between piano and guitar all evening. (Photo/Lance Wynn)
“I don’t know what happens when you get older,” he quipped at one point, then added, “Actually, I do know what happens.”
Perhaps, but his voice shows few traces of that aging, that familiar Browne resonance filling the amphitheater for more than two hours (not including an intermission).
And graying hair aside, the still slender Browne looks the part of a jeans-clad, ’70s singer-songwriter, one who can balance familiar faves “Rock Me on the Water,” “Take It Easy” and “Running on Empty,” with deeper tracks such as “The Barricades of Heaven,” “For a Dancer” and “The Birds of St. Marks,” a fresh version of which Browne said would be included on a new studio album this fall.
Still, there were those who grumbled about the serene, laid-back affair, with one spectator describing the ambience of the outdoor amphitheater on Sunday as a “snooze-fest” and others wondering why the concert wasn’t promoted as an acoustic, solo show (similar to the solo concert Browne played at DeVos Performance Hall the last time he visited Grand Rapids).
CHANGING SONG CHOICES ON THE FLY
But while it’s true that some of Browne’s songs lose some of the nuances and power of a full-band performance, there’s also something less structured, more unpredictable and more intensely personal about a consummate songwriter calling on songs from 40-year catalog – changing a song choice on the fly, gabbing with fans, taking a fair number of shouted-out requests.
“I play whatever I feel like at the moment,” Browne said early on about his refusal to prepare set lists.
It’s the sort of refreshingly casual performance that allows Browne to flub a chord here or there, or forget a line and be able to laugh about it in self-effacing fashion.
Perhaps more than anything, the one-man band approach focuses the energies of the performer and the audience on the power of the songs, through lyrics expressed clearly and crisply without the roar of a backing band.
And those who stuck around were rewarded with a passionate encore featuring a pair of Browne’s most enduring gems: “The Pretender” and “The Load-Out/Stay,” songs written more than 35 years ago, but aged nicely like a fine wine.
JACKSON BROWNE: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Lance Wynn (Amphitheater photo by John Sinkevics)
Click on photo to enlarge gallery
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
Well said, John! It was a lovely show, and Jackson Browne is (refreshingly) one of those musicians who has been around for years but hasn’t lost his touch.
Spot on! Those that wished for a full band might have been a bit disappointed, but for all of us faithful in the audience THIS was the night we’d hoped for. Every year for the past several I’ve hoped for Jackson Browne’s name to appear at the end of April on the Meijer Garden’s site. It was a wonderful combination of place, crowd and performer last night – and the weather was just another thing that was something fine.
It was interesting to me how many people approached me to ask why there was no band or whether it was advertised as a solo acoustic show. Part of it may be that fans in a nostalgic mood want to hear the songs the way they were played on the radio, with band backing. Personally, I think it’s all about expectations. If you expected to see a full-band rock show, it may have been a difficult adjustment. If you were there to hear a songwriter display his tunes in spare fashion, you were probably mesmerized.
I had no reason to expect either, but I was thinking band. I was not disappointed; nay, I was delighted, and I echo Tracy’s sentiments about the place-crowd-performer confluence. I can still see JB’s face when the crowd took over on “Stay” at the very end. He beamed.