Jackson Browne’s Birthday Eve Show Delighted Fans With A Few Rare Gifts

By John Voket

Having seen Jackson Brown’s “solo/acoustic” tour several times going back to 2005, I arrived at the Palace Theater in Waterbury on the eve of his 64th birthday on October 8 wondering how or if the Rock & Roll and Songwriters Hall of Famer was planning to take this rather static showcase to a new level. After an obligatory welcoming rendition of “Happy Birthday” from the boisterous crowd, Browne grabbed a guitar, sat down and proceeded to demonstrate how he would make this solo show the best among the five I’ve attended.

He accomplished that by not only including some of his most popular numbers, but by dispensing a few obscure gifts woven among the nearly two dozen hits he performed. Opening, as he had in all the previous shows, with “Barricades of Heaven,” he transitioned to a cover and tribute to his friend Warren Zevon, making quick work of “Don’t Let Us Get Sick.”

After a few more anticipated and well-worn tunes, Browne threw his first 100-mile-an-hour curveball, launching into “Off Of Wonderland,” which he said was inspired by the time he spent at one of his early 1970s residences in Los Angeles’s Laurel Canyon.

Moving from guitar to piano, Browne launched into a passionately played “Farther On,” during which he deftly managed the challenging octave-and-a-half vocal demands with nary a hint of strain in his upper register. He then performed “Jamaica Say You Will,” the first of three songs that evening he claimed to have written about women in his past.

Following up with another rare choice, “Looking Into You,” Browne admitted that it took so long to write that particular song the woman he was dating at the start of the process had moved on, and by the end of the song he was reflecting on a relationship with someone new.

Acquiescing to the many audience calls for “Running on Empty,” the artist said he would perform the uptempo hit midway through his opening set, instead of reserving it for the end of the show. And instead of closing his first set with a rocker, he instead left the crowd with more of a weeper, delivering a poignant “For A Dancer” before heading into the palace wings for a break.

Browne returned for set two settling in with one of the 13 guitars that he lined up beside him on stage, and then popped back up and changed instruments for one particularly enthusiastic shout out demanding “For Everyman.” Back on piano a few numbers later, Browne managed to outpace his earlier performance with a soaring take on “Late for The Sky.”

Back to requests and armed with a cheat sheet, he tackled “Shaky Town,” only to stop in mid verse to pick up and study the notes, realizing he had mis-sung a few of the lines. Browne’s slide work shined on “Your Bright Baby Blues,” and as he moved toward his encore, most of the audience stood and sang along to “Doctor My Eyes,” “Rock Me On the Water” and “Take It Easy.”

Closing with another emotional ballad, “Fountain of Sorrow,” Browne followed up with Little Steven’s “I Am A Patriot,” which provided the only opportunity for the lifelong activist to rant a bit and send good thoughts out to all the Occupy Wall Street protestors.