Jackson Browne
Louisville Palace • Louisville, Kentucky • June 10, 2023
by Roi J. Tamkin
There are few songwriters who seem to bring meaning to the lives of people of a certain generation. Someone who touches us with their music and words. One artist is Jackson Browne, who played to an appreciative audience at Kentucky’s storied Louisville Palace in early June.
Taking the stage promptly at 8 pm, Jackson Browne strode to the center stage microphone, guitar in hand, and opened the first set without his band, performing a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” solo. It’s a somber song that’s more a prayer and a blessing, a song that set the tone for the next three hours of songs of honest emotion to quietly listen to as the audience soaks up the lyrics.
It was Jackson’s intention to create an intimate evening of music — intimacy built between the artist and the audience that called out requests spanning his six decades of albums and recordings. He stated that the set list for the two sets comprised songs that had a special meaning to him. These pieces represented inflection points that brought direction to his life, songs about his childhood, his first sold composition, his first hit on the radio. Songs that are special to us as well.
He took the time to talk a little bit about each song, its origins, and what it meant to him at the time he wrote it. He talked about growing up in L.A. as a kid, and that led to “Lawless Avenues.” Selling “These Days” to Nico led to writing more and selling more, until his big hit as a solo artist with “Doctor My Eyes.”
But not everything about the concert was heavy and serious. When someone shouted out to play the older songs, he answered “They’re all old!” His conversations with the audience let us think, laugh, reminisce right along with him.
His backing band is made up of talented musicians who have played with him for decades. He mentioned early in the show that he was touring with a stripped-down version of his band, then later mentioned the passing of his keyboardist, Jeff Young. Jeff co-wrote many of Jackson Browne’s songs and the title track from his latest album, Downhill From Everywhere. The “stripped-down” version of the band included Bob Glaub on bass, Mauricio Lewak on drums, Althea Mills (who also played percussion) and Chavonne Stewart on backing vocals, and the incredible Greg Leisz on lap steel (amazing!) and lead guitar. Jackson himself would jump between guitar and piano, keeping his guitar tech busy (meanwhile, Greg had all his guitars on a stand at his side, always ready to play).
The band was so outstanding, Jackson himself would turn to the musicians and watch them play or sing with a big, appreciative smile on his face.
This show was not a rundown of all Browne’s hits. In fact, he seemed to avoid playing most of the suggestions people would call out. He did play “Somebody’s Baby” that someone requested. His most pop-ish sounding hit, it was bright, upbeat, and got the old bones in the audience up and dancing. “In the Shape of a Heart” also brought some women to their feet, while others moved in their seats. But he wouldn’t play “The Pretender,” no matter how loud I screamed for it. I’m joking. I actually was screaming for “Lawyers in Love.” He ignored that request, too.
He played his special mix of folk and soft California rock and sang stories we want to hear over and over again. “Black and White,” with the repeated chorus of time running out, wasn’t missed on anyone in the audience. “These Days,” he wrote as a teenager but spoke through the voice of a 74-year-old man looking back at his life. Now, we’re looking back at our lives.
I think what I enjoyed seeing the most was how different clumps of people would stand and applaud after each song. It was as if that song meant the most to this group of people over here, then the next song meant the most to that group over there. It wasn’t until near the end of the show that the entire audience started standing in unison to give ovation after ovation.
Browne played “Running on Empty” as the audience sang along. The encore was the crowd favorite “Load Out/Stay,” where he let the audience do the singing, although his backup singers handled the falsetto parts.
After the concert, I made my way back home, cutting through an alley that led to the stage door. There, a small number of people waited, all hoping to get an autograph or to shake Jackson Browne’s hand. I figured I’d wait, too. Maybe I could talk with him for half a second about the tour. But it was not to be. After waiting for ten minutes, Security came out and told us to scatter or they’d call the cops.
“But he told us to stay,” one man protested. “He asked us to stay a little bit longer.”
It didn’t work. The police arrived and everyone scattered, running on. Running into the sun, but we’re running behind. ◼
