Jackson Browne's fans treated to 'Something Fine'
Evansville Courier & Press
Jackson Browne's fans treated to 'Something Fine'
Evansville Courier & Press
October 16, 2003
Driving to The Victory on Wednesday evening to see Jackson Browne in concert, I thought back to the last time I'd seen him perform.
It was 1977, and his album "Running on Empty" had just been released. The venue was the Indiana University Auditorium, and Browne was backed by a stellar band of electrified musicians. It was a great concert, one that I can still vividly recall after 26 years.
Wednesday's concert was of a very different sort, featuring Browne alone on stage, singing and accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and piano, his music stripped bare of pulsating drums, lush strings and background vocals.
The intimate setting and the facility's fine acoustics provided the perfect background for Browne's poetic and deeply personal songs.
Browne opened the evening's first set with "I'm Alive." That was followed by "Mutineer," a song written by the late Warren Zevon, then by "The Barricades of Heaven", a Browne composition that Zevon had recorded. He noted that Zevon had made a few changes to the song and "now it's perfect."
As he launched into "In My Early Years," Browne forgot some of the song's lyrics. He handled the minor faux pas with humor, reminding the audience that "with this kind of show, anything can happen."
He also noted that he didn't have a set list to perform from. Quite a few members of the audience were happy to make suggestions, shouting out requests for their particular favorites. One individual suggested, "Sing all of them!"
Had Browne obliged that request, the concert would still be continuing through today and beyond, so extensive is his songbook.
After a brief intermission, Browne returned to the stage for a second set, this one featuring more upbeat, rock-flavored songs mixed in with the ballads.
He opened with what I consider one of his finest songs, "The Night Inside Me," a blend of exquisite lyrics and beautiful melody that offer a glimpse into the writer's innermost thoughts.
One of the highlights of the concert was Browne's performance of "Dr. My Eyes," his first single hit from more than 30 years ago. It's a song any Jackson Browne fan knows by heart, but the Evansville audience was treated to the 2003 version with some new lyrics and a jazzy, improvisational vibe.
Browne also proved that he didn't need electricity to rock the house. The acoustic guitar alone provided plenty of heat on "Redneck Friend" and "Running on Empty," the set's final number.
The audience hadn't had nearly enough, however, and a loud, enthusiastic standing ovation brought Browne back to the stage for a three-song encore.
Sandwiched between "For a Dancer" and "Take It Easy," a hit for the Eagles which Browne co-wrote with that band's Glenn Frey, was a song called "Something Fine."
It was a perfect description of Browne's concert.
It takes an extraordinary talent to hold an audience's attention for nearly three hours. And Jackson Browne proved Wednesday night that he is, indeed, an extraordinary talent who has the ability to touch people deeply through his music.