Jackson Browne's set never finds second gear
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Jackson Browne smiles in response to applause Thursday night at Heinz Hall. -
Jackson Browne, who opened his acoustic concert at Heinz Hall with "Barricades of Heaven," accompanies himself on keyboard in front of a line of guitars.
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Jackson Browne is traveling solo on this tour but he's not traveling light.
The folk-rock icon took the stage Thursday night at Heinz Hall right at 7:33 and picked up one of 17 guitars lined up behind him to open with "Barricades of Heaven."
A guy could do a lot of damage with that kind of artillery.
He really didn't.
Before we get to that, he looks amazing at 62, just like one of his old album covers. He's long and lean and his shoulder-length hair, which hangs perfectly over one eye, belongs in the Great Hair Hall of Fame. How can you be so sad and sensitive with hair like that?!
It should come as no surprise that the guy is well preserved because he's a hallmark of organic California living. Early in the show his voice was honey smooth, like it always was, with just the hint of a rasp on a held note. If he's making a live disc of this show -- not a great idea, at all -- he's going to have to overdub in a few places, like on "Shape of a Heart" and especially on "For a Dancer," where I think he suddenly caught my cold.
Each of these acoustic shows is one of a kind. "I'm doing these shows without a set list, but someone generously provided one," he said of a fan, who handed him a poster-sized sheet of requests (he also got a bouquet of gladiolus. Others shouted out favorites between songs in the quiet theater.
He switched off between guitar and piano doing songs vivid with imagery, songs that sound like they were crafted in a poetry seminar. You could easily play a Jackson Browne drinking game for every time he uses the words "sun," "sea" or "sky." The melodies didn't vary a whole lot, especially on the piano songs, which included "The Birds of St. Marks," "Late for the Sky" and "Fountain of Sorrow," complete with lines that threw his fans into a polite frenzy.
First Published September 30, 2011 12:00 am
