By J. Freedom du Lac : Washington Post
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Jackson Browne Conquers Time at the Warner
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Jackson Browne opened his Warner Theatre concert Monday night with a warm-up jog through the vast expanse of his catalogue, beginning with a trio of songs from the 1980s and 1990s before digging into a well-known warhorse, 1974's brilliantly bittersweet "Fountain of Sorrow."
That bit of backward-looking business officially out of the way, Browne turned to the real task at hand: previewing songs from his first studio album in six years, "Time the Conqueror," out next week.
"I'm not sure how many new songs you want to hear, but I guess we'll find out," he said in introducing "Off of Wonderland." Browne then began a tentative performance of the mid-tempo sorta-rocker in which he sang, over slightly tangled guitar lines and Hammond organ fills, about "change in the air" and "love everywhere." Though it was new, there was a comforting familiarity to the song.
Still, when it was finished, some of his fans began calling out for the standbys: "Stay"! "Running on Empty"! "The Pretender"! Browne smirked. "Okay, that was one new one," he said. "I'm going to see how many of these I can do before people start to leave."
And so it went throughout the 2 1/2 -hour show, the first on Browne's fall tour: Backed by a four-piece band and two terrific female soul singers, Browne played eight new songs and the fans (some of them, anyway) repeatedly called for the old ones. Browne seemed somewhat sheepish about the whole thing, saying: "No one really came here to hear new songs."
It was partly in character, as he's always been a soul-baring and somewhat despairing figure, an original confessionalist who is forever considering his own existence, making him an open book.
Still, it was somewhat startling to hear from an accomplished veteran of the songwriting game -- an eloquent, cerebral poet whose songs were covered by Joan Baez, the Byrds and the Eagles back in the day, who ran with Linda Ronstadt, Warren Zevon and James Taylor, who came to define the Southern California singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s and who now has a second home in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The new material demonstrated that Browne, just a few weeks shy of 60, still has a terrific touch. That was particularly true on the contemplative, vividly drawn title track of "Time the Conqueror," the soaring if wistful "Giving That Heaven Away" and the echoing, atmospheric "Live Nude Cabaret," a study of the female form that which Browne said was like nothing else he'd ever written. Less successful: "Far From the Arms of Hunger," a plodding, soporific protest song.
This being the tour opener, he appeared to flub a few of the new lyrics and he definitely forgot at least one chord progression on guitar, though he knew he had a problem even before the song began and asked a band mate for help. "This is the first show; I'm concentrating on learning these new songs," he explained.
There were some oldies mixed in, of course, including "Doctor My Eyes," the piano-driven hit from Browne's self-titled 1972 debut. Here, the rolling SoCal rocker served a particular purpose as The Song That Gave Rhythmically Challenged People a License and Impetus to Dance.
He opened the second half of the set with a stunning solo acoustic version of 1972's "Something Fine" and closed it with a potent one-two punch of the very classics the audience had been calling for: "The Pretender," a story-song about reality trumping romanticism, and the well-worn road anthem "Running on Empty."
When it was done -- after a reggaefied encore version of "I Am a Patriot" -- Browne thanked the audience for having indulged him. He needn't have: The pleasure was ours.
By J. Freedom du Lac : Washington Post
