Hi Russ, I'm a die-hard JB fan, since '73 and have seen him many times. I was at the Dodge Theatre concert last night in Phx and enjoyed Jackson's portions enormously. He sounds and looks better than ever and each song brings back memories and still stirs the heart and the mind. I wonder, however, why he does not do a solo show and just rock the hours for 3 hours or more? I must say I am a bit frustrated having to see him partnered with others (good musicians all of them - Petty, Keb'Mo, Earle etc), but, as a die hard, I would love just to have Jackson perform for several hours, and do all his great stuff. Do others out there feel this way? Can we communicate this to JB? His 25+ years recording deserve their own showcase!

Dear Russ,

Here's my review. Very long, but I hope it's enjoyable!

If I had to sum the whole thing up in two words, it would be "great concert!" But, I'd like to get way more longwinded about it. I have to say, I've been to hundreds of concerts, but this one was really up there with the best of them, not to mention highly unusual, in that it was more of a collaboration between three artists than it was three separate acts.

The show was held in the Journal Pavilion in Albuquerque, which is an absolutely lovely locationóoutdoors, away from the city, and with a view of the mountains. The general admissions area is actually a big lawn that forms a semicircle above the seating-very nice, but a bit far from the stage. Luckily, I managed to connive my way into the second tier of seats, I've got lots of experience with this kind of thing! I think the place seats about 8,000-it wasn't sold out, but there must have been 6,000 or more people there.

It was a beautiful, warm night-this summer has been too hot and dry, but it wasn't too hot, and it was already cooling down by the time the concert started. The stage was already set up by the time I got there, with a large garbage can with the letter "WMD" on it hanging prominently. I would guess that at least 2/3, if not æ of the audience had already shown up by the time the show started. Smart New Mexicans!

I love the low-key way the three singers just strolled out on stage exactly at 7:30, pretty much setting the standard for the whole evening: friendly, casual, unpretentious, diverse, and amazingly well-timed!

The opening number, the "rehab version" of Cocaine, from Browne's classic "Running on Empty," got a big response, with the audience applauding many of the funniest lines. Browne's line about wanting his lost brain cells back got a lot of laughter, but the part about Keb Mo never having done cocaine, and playing so well got an even bigger cheer, and the last line, when Jackson sings that he would have stopped before if someone had told him how his coke use was funding the CIA-THAT line got a huge cheer. I think that there were a lot of social activist types on the audience, judging by the reaction to some of the songs and lines. Anyway, it was great (and interesting) to hear Jackson Browne's smooth voice trading lines with Steve Earle's roughness.

The second number was a nice surprise: I expected to get Earle's "Jonathan's song," but instead got (for me) an even more powerful anti death penalty number: "Ellis Unit One," from the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. A beautiful version of a moving song, with Browne's backing singer and keyboardist, along with Browne and Mo, providing very powerful backing vox on the gospel-like chorus.

After that, Keb Mo grabbed another instrument, and Steve Earle said "Uh Oh! This guy's got a BANJO!" That number was very nice, too, though it didn't make as much impact on me as Mo's later set.

The opening set over, Steve Earle started up almost immediately, saying "Someone get me an electric guitar!" and the big drum beats of "Amerika 6.0" from his latest album Jerusalem, booming out. A BIG change from the acoustic stuff! The Dukes starting playing the main riff, sort of a cross between "Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Steve starting the opening line "Look atcha!" by pointing directly at the audience, then singing the lines "I remember we were both out on the boulevard, talkin' revolution and singing the blues. Nowadays it's letters to the editor and cheatin' on our taxes is the best that we can do!" It did seem to be a bit of a jab at the largely middle-aged, affluent-looking audience, but to me, putting the song in context just made it more powerful.

The first half of Earle's ten-song set was all like that: loud, confrontational political material, mostly from his new album Jerusalem. Even so, there was a fair amount of SE's trademark variety: the slower, swampy grooves and harmonica solos of "Ashes to Ashes" and "Taneytown," contrasting with the fast "What's a Simple Man to Do," which sounded like Mexican Norteno music mixed with hillbilly music and The Ramones (the cheesy organ parts, played by Browne's keyboardist, really spiced things up).

The big surprise for me was "Conspiracy Theory," formerly my least favorite number from Jerusalem, because the music, especially the female vocals on the chorus, didn't seem to quite work for me. This live version, however, was a powerful, bizarre piece of live theatre, with Jackson Browne's backing vocalist and keyboardist doing a much-improved version of the chorus vocals, and Earle's son Patrick playing the WMD garbage can as percussion! I hope Earle records this version of the song-would sound great on a live record, and it was great fun to watch.

A few members of the audience looked startled or even disturbed by the loud first half of the set, what with Steve sometimes sounding like a countrified Sex Pistols or Ramones, though Earle still got big cheers after every song. But, in the second half, Earle started really showing his variety and musicality, and the audience seemed to get more drawn in. The title track of "Transcendental Blues," which I could describe as an "Indo-Celtic Hillbilly Raga" quieted things down, and led into the now-notorious "John Walker's Blues," which Earle introduced simply by translating the song's "There is no God but God" Arabic chorus into English, which got a pretty big cheer.

I can remember first hearing this song, thinking that, as a composition, it wasn't quite up to the controversy surrounding it. But, I've totally changed my mind, and this rendition was further proof of the song's greatness. Earle played acoustic guitar, Browne's keyboardist supplied the harmonium drone of the record, and The Dukes held off on the volume, letting the brilliantly confused lyrics come to the fore. It gave Earle his biggest cheer yet of the evening, and led into an even better song: the title track of Jerusalem.

In my opinion, this is one of the most moving and hopeful songs ever written, sort of a post 9/11 Imagine, and again, The Dukes played it beautifully restrained, abandoning the volume of the first half of their set, and letting the lyrics and the lovely harmonica/guitar interplay between Earle and guitarist Eric Amble come out. Everybody should hear this song, and I have a feeling that it's been winning Earle a lot of new fans. I did notice that the audience was being very attentive on this one.

At one point, Earle introduced his band, and it became obvious that there was a sizable SE fan club up in General Admission-people yelling compliments/comments about the band members.

The last two songs were a lot of fun-I knew we were in for something good when Earle strapped on a mandolin! His opening comments about the near mining disaster in Kentucky a couple years ago, and the role of positive role of unions got his biggest cheer yet of the evening-again, a sign of those New Mexican audiences. Then, he went into "Harlan Man," from his 2000 bluegrass album "The Mountain." This was a bit weird to hear in an electric version, but it sounded great, with Ambel providing the country harmonies. After that, a surprise: Earle did a solo spot on mandolin-it's not exactly his main instrument, but he did a great job, and it put yet another spin on his amazingly eclectic set. His riffs gradually of mutated into the main "Copperhead Road" riff, and he went into his best-known song. He's probably done this one thousands of times by now, and it has only gained in power, with an arrangement that is rootsier and yet rocks harder than the original. At this point, some of the people sitting around me asked me "Who IS this guy?" they were obviously being converted!

After the Earle set, we got the only real break of the whole evening, not that it was very long. Maybe 15 minutes at most. At about 10 to nine, Keb Mo casually walked on stage, to a big ovation. Even before he started playing, it was pretty clear that he has a big fan base here in New Mexico! He started out by saying "It's a perfect evening," which applied pretty well not only to the weather, but to the concert as well.

I don't know Mo's music, so I won't try to give a song-by-song rundown, but I can say that he won me, and the audience, over completely, almost immediately. The first few acoustic numbers were just brilliant, and the song about having 6 telephones and 500 channels on TV just got the audience howling.

After that, he brought on Browne's band. I do have to say: although this was also very good, if anything, Mo was a little better just by himself. But, the electric set was still very effective. Some numbers that particularly stand out were "As Soon as I Get Paid," and "Give Me What You Got," again, the audience just howled at some of the funnier lines. His self-deprecating account of how he was asked to join the tour was also well received, especially when it was followed by his story of how he asked Jackson Browne if he would do a number with him. Then, of course, Browne came out, and we got the song "Just Like Me," which I almost thought must be a Jackson Browne song that I haven't heard-sounded very Jackson-ish. It was also really funny to see how much taller Mo is than Jackson!

When he thanked the audience and left, Mo just got a stupendous reaction, and the audience even seemed to be trying to get him to do an encore! If there were people complaining that Browne hadn't come on yet, they certainly were in the minorityÖ

Again, I just have to remark on the amazing timing of this showóBrowne showed up seemingly within a minute of Mo stepping off. Of course, it didn't hurt that his band's equipment was already set up.

They went right into the newie "The Night Inside Me," which is a great song and a perfect opening number. It rocked harder than the studio version, and the band was just spot on, especially Mark Goldenberg's guitar (man, can that guy play!) and keyboardist Jeff Young's wonderful harmonies. BIG cheer when that one was over.

Next, Browne sat down at his piano (OK, so it's a keyboard, but it sure SOUNDS like a piano) and they went back 30-odd years to Fountain of Sorrow, a real chestnut, and a song I can't imagine anyone not being familiar with. I was a bit surprised that the audience reaction was more or less the same for that of the previous number-very enthusiastic, but there must be something about this particular audience that made it after far more than nostalgia. The song, anyway, sounded more dramatic than the original version, especially the coda.

The next several songs were all either new ones from "Naked Ride Home," or numbers from his political records in the mid/late 80's, but the audience didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, World in Motion and Lives in the Balance got two of the biggest cheers of the evening-just hearing JB say "This is called "Lives in the Balance"" got a cheer I would more expect for something like "Doctor My Eyes." Those 80's records must have done well in New Mexico; maybe it's because of all the political activism here! Browne told the story of how Lives in the Balance had meant a lot to his son as a teenager, and that was nice to hear; I guess I wasn't the only teenager in the 80's to be touched by the song. When he started the "They sell us the president, same way they sell us our clothes and our cars," I got emotional, remembering how much that verse used to affect me. I guess that was my big nostalgia moment of the show!

The single biggest treat, though, was hearing how much these songs were transformed live, especially the 80's numbers: relieved of the then-fashionable overproduction, and rearranged, they are just awesome. "In the Shape of a Heart" was nicely stripped-down, and "Lives in the Balance" and "World in Motion" sounded remarkable. The former was done in an acoustic Afro-Cuban style, it had a lot of percussion, bassist Kevin McCormick played a stand up bass, and Goldenberg just wowed with his nylon-string playing (the man is just amazing!). Browne's backing vocalist/percussionist also deserves special mention here. Browne introduced "World in Motion," which had Keb Mo helping out, by telling of how Mo had learned it from Bonnie Raitt, who had learned it from Browne himself. He then added "But after she learned it from me, she TAUGHT it TO me. Bonnie will do that to you!" Anyway, the arrangementÖ this was probably the single most improved JB song of the evening. This funky, bluesy arrangement, with Browne and Keb Mo trading vocalsÖ it NEEDS to be on a live album!

Another revelation was the new song "Casino Nation." On the new record, this song sounds good, but live, it sounds fantastic. The band was just ripping, especially McCormick, and Goldenberg. You can really tell that this song was written by improvisation, and all of that came out in the playing live. The increased power just made the political lyrics seem better. "For Taking the Trouble," with Keb Mo's dobro, was also better than on the record-you'd think that the complex arrangement would be harder to get across on stage, but it was just the opposite.

The second half of the concert was mostly oldies from the 70's albums, with the exception of the title track of "Naked Ride Home." That song, by the way, just soared, especially with Jeff Young's harmonies. That song is an example of why any JB fan who saw this show without buying the album is insane. In a better world, this song would have been all over the radio stations in the last year.

Anyway, the oldies were lovely, and, again, several of them benefited from new and improved arrangements. I think the best example was "Doctor my Eyes," a much more soulful and powerful arrangement that almost makes the original sound tinky-dinky. Another candidate for that live albumÖ Of the oldies, I think I enjoyed that one the most, just because I've always identified with the lyrics. These Days, with a very pretty acoustic arrangement, was also better than the original.

By this time of the show, JB was drinking a lot of water, and commenting on the dry climate. He asked if there was something here that people drank a lot of that helped, and of course, people yelled "Beer!" The only song that I noticed the dry throat issue on was "Late for the Sky," for which Browne's voice sounded a bit cracked here and there, but it kind of added to the impact of the very sad lyrics.

The end was great fun of course, everybody got on their feet for "Running on Empty," (though a fair number of people had already been dancing to the faster numbers before that-that's NM for you!). The encore, with Earle, Earle's guitarist Eric Ambel (on banjo!) and Keb Mo joining in, was a riot: the version of "Take it Easy" destroyed both the poppy Eagles version, and Browne's earlier version. Browne mentioned that it was a Southwest song, though not about New Mexico. Funny that Steve Earle got the "Looking for a lover who won't blow my cover" part; with 5 marriages, it sounds appropriate for him. (One of my favorite SE quotes is "I LIKE being marriedÖ I'm just not very good at it").

Then, they closed with Earle's "I ain't Ever Satisfied," which is a perfect closing song, and it was nice to hear another old, pre-rehab SE song besides "Copperhead Road." I noticed that JB got the verse about going to heaven but refusing to come in-again, pretty funny. By this time, the audience didn't seem to mind at all that the song was relatively unfamiliar. We stomped for a second encore, but no-one seemed let down when the lights came up. In fact, walking out to the parking lot, I listened for comments, and seemed like everything was a variation of "I enjoyed that SO much!"

A few observations:

Jackson Browne took great care to introduce each and every one of the six musicians in his band, and later said that they were "The best band I've ever had." After seeing them play, that's NOT hard to believe.

I've heard Steve Earle fans who went to earlier shows on this tour saying "Jackson's sound was a lot clearer than Steve's, opening bands always have that problem." It occurred to me, though, that by having Browne's band back KM, they were essentially getting their sound perfect before Browne's set proper even started! It also really helped with the timing.

And yes, as I said earlier, this was AMAZINGLY well timed concert, perhaps the best I've ever been to in that respect.

Partially because of that, you get a lot of music for your money, not only in terms of variety, but also just in that most of the 3 hours, 35 minutes was actually comprised of playing, not of waiting around! And, when you consider the quality of the music, it was an extremely good value. For me, any of the individual acts would have been worth the money paid, let alone getting three for the price of one.

Some Jackson Brown fans have complained about the set list. Personally, I thought it was a very nice mix of early, middle-period, and new material. I would like to have heard "Pretender," but I would have liked to have heard the 90's tune "Barricades of Heaven" even more. As it is, I really couldn't complain about the set list-not a single song I regretting hearing. Certainly, the new material held its own with the older stuff. Really, I think the main problem was that some people would have liked to have heard more JB, but there will be other tours-this one was unusual and special, and should have been appreciated at such.

It has occurred to me that Steve Earle has nearly as many albums as JB does-ten, to be exact. And, his set list leans even more heavily on new material-6 songs from the new albums, 4 songs from other recent albums, and only two classics from his drug days. And yet, I haven't heard any Earle fans say "He's playing too many new songs!" ëCourse, it helps that Earle has just released no less than 6 classic albums in a row, but it's not like JB's recent material hasn't been good. Maybe the problem isn't the setlists, but some of the fans.

Anyway, this Albuquerque gig was a very happy audience that really appreciated all three acts. I saw a few people who looked confused/disturbed by the volume in the first part of SE's set, and there were a group of Keb Mo fans who talked loudly during JB's set, but other than that, people seemed to be happy to get so much variety. I know, different strokes for different folks, but it's amazing what an open mind can do, and New Mexico is an open-minded place.

I have to say: with this being such a GREAT concert with an obviously appreciative audience, I've wondered if the negativity hasn't been just a disgruntled minority. Then again, it could just be that New Mexicans are receptive to this kind of concert. It does seem, from reading the reviews, that the audiences in the Pacific Northwest (where I'm originally from) were also very enthusiastic, but, then again, that's another open-minded place!

re: the letter from mattkubiak@msn.com [posted in the July '03 letters]

Please spare us of your condescending insights into what you think we do and don't get.

"For those of you that were so disappointed and yearned for Jackson to take you on some prescribed nostalgia trip down memory lane - to all those moments when his music, lyrics and insight helped you out during the rough times - I feel sorry for you. You can't see the forest for the trees. You were given a wonderful night of music... but you didn't get it. Wow... what more can I say?"

"nostalgia trip" my butt.

The feedback regarding this tour is unanimous. We the people wanted more from the headliner.

I'll stick to my original statement, as follows:

"I also feel that Jackson's tour manager/producer should have pushed for him to come out after 'Ain't Ever Satisfied' and given us three or four acoustic and/or piano numbers of more old stuff. It would not have taken that much out of the old man, we would have gone nuts, and would have gone home elated."

Flew to Phoenix Tuesday to meet a dear list friend and catch my last concert of this tour on Wednesday The fact that it was in an air conditioned auditorium made it all that more favorable after the sweltering heat in PA, NH, and MA. Show started right on time, as usual. Jackson thanking all for coming early. All three gentlemen looked well and happy. There were far more Steve Earle fans there than up North and he rocked but I still had to wear my ear plugs so I would be able to hear Jackson (g). It was announced prior to show that Keb' and Jackson could go 'long', I think as it was an indoor venue. Keb' also got a warmer response as I think more folks new him. He was his usual cool fine self and commented that how could he remember his set when all the pretty women were in the front rows. He had an extra 3 numbers, I believe. What a gentleman and so very talented.

Jackson came out to a warm and cheering welcome. By then folks had visited the full bar and beer concessions quite a bit and rest room trips were frequent. I was surprised to see people coming and going during his excellent show. There were many requests being called for and Jackson commented that when they got up and left he thought they were mad he had not immediately accommodated them and maybe he should do all the old ones right up front and make everyone happy. He did change the set list a few times. Two couples in front of me talked loudly through the show, they should have gone to Starbuck's and had a conversation, tiny rant here.

Someone called loudly for I'm Alive and said they came all the way from Flagstaff, Jackson chuckled and said as he remembered it was not that far to Flagstaff and that reminded him of a story from Japan.

He told us a funny story about being in Japan and how polite folks were there and they lined up for autographs, etc. He said one older lady grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go saying something unintelligible. So he continued with the other folks and she continued to hold his arm. Then he finally understood what she was saying, she had come all the way from Hong Kong. At that point, March, I think, SARS and Hong Kong were a major threat and very much on Jackson's mind.

He then did For Taking The Trouble and called it I'm Still Alive.

With about a half hour to go a flock of young ( and some older) girls rushed to the stage area and danced and had a great time. This finally got folks out of their seats and into the spirit. Hard to say as some things run into another, but I believe I would call it 3 encores. Redneck Friend was called for and brought everyone to their feet.

It was a super show, well worth the trip, and Jackson put his hand over his heart to say 'thank you' to all. Once again it brought home the fact that the audience really has the control. Love him and he loves you back. Shoot, I even saw Mark Goldenberg laugh! Also, Catherine Russell was surely missed. Didn't catch the new gal's name but she had 'hard shoes' to fill.

Went to hotel as I was flying back out at 5 AM. Checked in and clerk asked how I was doing. Told him very fine as I had just been to Jackson Browne concert. He asked where and said " you know, Jackson Browne put Sedona on the map". Nice to know people remember.

Back home waiting for the acoustic tour,

Hi Russ - Thanks for keeping this website alive!

I just saw six concerts (Redmond, Ridgefield, Eugene, Concord, Las Vegas, San Diego) and to those of you who have been complaining, I have to say, shame on you! This was an INCREDIBLE show! I was so impressed with Steve Earle and the Dukes (unknown to me until this summer - thanks Jackson), Keb' Mo' was delightful, and Jackson and his band were awesome. They all genuinely enjoy each other's company and music. I consider it a gift from Jackson to share these artists with us, as well as his own incredible talent. He has never sounded better, his band is amazing, and his new record is great! I'm glad he played several songs from it - he obviously loves these songs, and there could be nothing more rewarding than listening to him play what he loves. Every one of these shows was special in its own way. Redmond - a beautiful wooded setting, outdoors but intimate - it was daylight almost throughout the concert, and Jackson liked the fact that he could see our faces! My first show, and everything was perfect! Ridgefield - a huge new venue - I missed the intimacy of the previous night, but the show was great again! Glynis's vocals are wonderful both with Steve Earle and with Jackson - I love Val McCallum's harmonies and harmonica on Keb' Mo's set, and Jackson on Just Like You was the best! - Kevin McCormick is so great on Casino Nation, and Jeff Young's harmonies and organ accompaniments are beautiful. Eugene - very casual and friendly - it felt like a concert from 30 years ago - everyone was dancing for the entire 3 hours - amazing energy between the audience and the musicians! Jackson and his fabulous band played Barricades of Heaven (my husband's request!), Your Bright Baby Blues (beautiful!), Lives in the Balance (amazing arrangement-I love Mauricio Lewak on the cajon), and For Everyman (great, dramatic live experience - oh, the drums! - Mauricio again - he is the best!)

Concord - another huge venue, another amazing show - Late For the Sky was incredible, Mark Goldenberg rocks on Doctor My Eyes, and have I mentioned how much fun the encore songs are every night? The whole audience singing along with these incredible performers is a thrill! Las Vegas - the only indoor venue we attended -great acoustics - you could hear a pin drop! Jackson was very conversational and relaxed - he played Rosie (what a treat - Kevin McCormick really plays it up), and he played Don't You Want To Be There (my request!) Perfection! What a song - what a voice! San Diego (Viejas) - small venue, receptive crowd - Steve Earle rocked, Keb' Mo' was even more charming if that's possible, and Jackson was comfortable and happy to be in Southern California. Casino Nation and Lives in the Balance were especially moving. These Days gets me every time - this version is amazing. My Stunning Mystery Companion was as good as it gets! Jackson clearly loves this song, and everyone in the band had a featured solo- it was awesome! This was the last night all of these artists were performing together, they all talked about how much fun they've had, and you could feel it. Take it Easy and I Ain't Ever Satisfied weren't the last songs this time. Jackson and his band came back and played Somebody's Baby, dedicated to all their wives and girlfriends, and to Glynis's husband. I wish they could do these shows all over again! I had a blast and met all kinds of great people (especially you, Deb!). This was my husband's birthday gift to me, and it was definitely the best birthday ever! Thanks, Stan! I hope everyone who was lucky enough to go to any of these shows had as much fun as I did!

-- Peace

Hi Russ-

Thanks for a great site- your dedication to it shows. My concern about dedication- and the abandonment thereof- is why I'm writing, prompted by both an earlier post that justifiably denounced Ticketmaster and by my recent experiences in the world of postponed events and ticket exchanges. I've long doubted the dedication of a lot of people in the music industry to the people, the fans, who spend their time and paychecks supporting the careers of their chosen musicians, but this past week has taken my cynicism to new heights. It's also made me question my long-held esteem for Jackson's moral compass.

For those of us who held tickets to the Red Rocks show on July 18th, the debacle began after Steve Earl's set. A storm blew in from the east, lightning zapped, and pretty soon a guy was onstage with a flashlight saying that the event would be rescheduled. Bummed and bewildered, a few of us tried to summon Jackson by loudly singing "Before the Deluge" from the stands, but the security goons shooed us out before we could start the third verse.

A week later I dig way deeper into the Ticketmaster website site than I should have had to, only to learn that Fiddler's Green was the venue that had adopted our orphaned show. There was also a rather extreme difference between the prices of the Red Rocks tickets and the new ones generated by Fiddler's larger capacity, but I'll come back to that.

First, a word or two about Fiddler's Green, which was graciously provided free of charge by the Museum of Outdoor Arts. The people who run both outfits, as well as the harried receptionists in the box office, deserve kudos for stepping up when others failed to do so.

That said, Fiddler's Green is a vile place to see a show. It's in the middle of a huge office park in south Denver, with easy freeway access but miserable parking. Because of its location in the middle of a city it has high concrete walls nearly all the way around the seating area, to corral the escaping music before it can disturb somebody's peace. The walls make the place feel like a prison yard, and have no redeeming acoustical quality.

The claustrophobic feeling created by the walls is exacerbated by the near-vertical nature of the lawn seating, which resembles a terraced Guatemalan cornfield. Seriously- it's steep. It's also very difficult to traverse, especially if you're trying not to spill your beer. When the late afternoon brings monsoon storms, as often happens in these parts at this time of year, the lawn seating at Fiddler's is nigh on unclimbable. Descents under such conditions, on the ther hand, are rapid and fun.

So thanks, Fiddler's Green, for coming to our aid, but I hope you understand why I'm feeling a little slighted. Red Rocks is a legendary venue, carved from the living sandstone of the Rocky Mountain piedmont, a place that ranks up there with The Gorge at George and a very few other truly fantastic amphitheaters. Frankly, Fiddler's is none of these.

Fiddler's does have a larger capacity than Red Rocks, though, and it makes sense that they should try to fill as many seats as they could, knowing that there were already several thousand ticketholders who were going to attend a show they'd adopted for free. What's more, they didn't even need to charge the same prices as Red Rocks had- they could sell their own seats cheaper! This they did, charging $25 for reserved seating and $15 for lawn space "in excess" of the tickets sold for the Red Rocks show. We red-headed friends from back in July had paid around $65 for reserved seats at Red Rocks.

Somehow, my concert ticket had lost sixty percent of its value overnight. Enter Ticketmaster.

You wanna read some Greek? Find, if you can, the page on the Ticketmaster website that gives instructions for how to refund or exchange tickets for this show. Those parts which are not incomprehensible- even the kid at Customer Service laughed and agreed, "yeah, dude...that's pretty ambiguous"- require rituals involving Klingon pain sticks. For instance, we were invited to exchange our reserved Red Rocks seats for TWO lawn seats at Fiddler's (given the above pricing, you do the math), but only if we schlepped all the way down to south Denver before the day of the show and between 10 and 2, which are the only times the Fiddler's box office is open.

Bought your tickets online? Ticketmaster will refund most of the full price, but only if you snail mail them the original that you printed from your computer and have it postmarked before the day of the show. Then, after leisurely deliberating over your case for awhile ("could be up to six weeks, sir"), Ticketmaster will, at a time of its choosing, credit your charge account. Funny...they seemed to be real quick about getting their charge listed on my next billing statement. Guess that instant messaging crap only works one-way.

Reserved seats will presumably be exchanged on a one-for-one basis, proving the old adage that it sucks to buy high and sell low.

I'm a teacher, man- only half a paycheck ahead of eating cat-food casserole. I don't have money to burn, so what I spend I spend carefully, on selected events in places I like. I find it extremely disappointing to pay for one thing and receive something else under any circumstances, not because I'm some pampered yuppy who has to have things his way, but because my criminally-low salary doesn't provide me with the means to settle for anything less than what I paid for. I do not, for example, currently have a hundred and fifty bucks in my "oh, well..." fund.

Since there is no practical means of redress for the little guy in this matter (though the girl at the Fiddler's box office was real apologetic), we're left with the same three options that screwed-over proletarians are traditionally forced to decide between: 1) Suck it up and quit whining (sick of that); 2) Unionize (interesting possibilities, unworkable timeframe); and 3) Put our faith in our leaders (big leap)

I've heard Steve Earl won't be performing on Sunday, don't know if he had a prior engagement or if he figured he's already met his contractual obligation to play Denver. It troubles me that I'd even ask the question, but the Saga of the Red Rocks Refugees seems to indicate a decided lack of dedication to anything but opportunism and to-the-letter legalism on the part of the people who cobbled the August 3rd show together. We deserved better.

I hope Jackson gets wind that this one hurt. I hope he busts out an acoustic guitar and does something by the Grateful Dead. I hope he remembers that the people who spend their hard-earned dollar to see him play don't do so because we want to see a rote repetition of the songs of our youth, but because we want to re-connect with an old friend, some one whose words have inspired us and whose music has formed the soundtrack of our lives.

I don't want to start thinking that Jackson Browne, who's been with me all these miles, might've heard Hornsby say "that's just the way it is" one too many times when they were on that tour together.

Peace,

Russ,

So I'm leaving Muir Woods and am driving with my wife up to Sonoma Valley to do a little cruising through the wine country, when we hear on the radio that Jackson is playing that night in Concord! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I was in from Philly for only a few days on some business and on the one day I have off, JB's playing in town - UNBELIEVABLE! Anyway, we made our way through some serious wine tasting, got back to the hotel in San Fran to wolf down some room service and then we were back out on the road, map in hand, to find out where the hell Concord California was.

After a 45 minute drive, we found the Chronicle Pavillion built amoungst California's famed rolling hills. Up to this point, I've only seen Jackson perform in Pennsylvania, so to be catching a concert on his own turf seemed pretty cool. Steve Earl was just finishing his set as the sun ducked behind the mountains. We rushed up to the ticket window to buy the best seats they had left. That's when my luck continued. A guy came up to my wife and me and said not to buy tickets - that he had two tickets for us - free of charge - 20 rows back - ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Bought a beer, browsed the souvenir tent then settled in for a great set from Keb Mo and another special evening with Jackson Browne. I already have reviewed the Hershey show but I just wanted to add some observations and random thoughts from this show:

Sam, our ticket man, was sent from above...The Chonicle Pavillion is a great place to see a concert...a beer at a JB concert in California taste about the same as a beer at a JB concert in Pennsylvania...Keb Mo had lots of people talking as we left ("That guy Keb Mo was GOOD! I got to go out and get some of his CD's".)...The big screens on each side of the stage made it feel like I was "right there"...A smitten girl in a blue shirt danced to every JB song right next to us(never thought I'd see someone dance to Casino Nation)...Doctor My Eyes still rocks...crowd was more into it than in Hershey...The band really cooks during The Night Inside Me...One song I'd love to see JB do live - Don't You Want To Be There...Best JB line of the night: When the crowd was sreaming out requests, Jackson laughed and said, "I'm not going to let you trick me into doing what you want me to do!" (remember folks, it's a triple bill, he's trying to get in as many tunes as he can, there are curfews and he's got a full band to consider)...Keb Mo and Jackson sound awesome together...Take It Easy might be the greatest encore tune of all time...Can't believe how lucky I am to see this show twice in a month!

Thanks Jackson!
"Go out and make a joyful sound!"

Russ,

I have been a fan since 1973, and I too, am disappointed to read some of the negative feedback regarding the tour and now specifically, the 7/26 show at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. I was there and you would think we saw two different shows.

In fairness, I have followed the tour on your web site, and knew what to expect. On the other hand, it is still up to the artists to pull it off. My only criticism is that I thought Steve Earle played too long and Keb Mo' too short.

If I read them right, many fans are disappointed that Jackson did not play longer and did not play enough "old" stuff. Longer is a relative term. Who wouldn't want to hear Jackson play longer? As for the song selection, his second song was "Fountain of Sorrow", and you would have thought he had just played an encore. He was in fine form and so was the crowd. He gave such a great rendition of this "classic" that the crowd was on it's feet cheering at the end. (Second song of the night.) And let's see, his last three songs were "Doctor My Eyes", followed by "Late for the Sky" and "Running on Empty". This led to the first encore of "Take It Easy". Not enough "old" stuff?

Yes, Jackson played four new songs. And yes, I would have preferred "Sergio Leone" to "Casino Nation". But when has Jackson ever played it safe? The greatest always push the envelope and go out on a limb by not giving in to the easy cash of yesterday. Rather they explore and write and continue to grow their craft. This is what Jackson does and I was gratified to hear what I thought was a great selection of songs in the set.

Finally, I sit here and realize that I have written this entire offering without even mentioning the moving and heartwarming version of "These Days" that Jackson did halfway through his set.

Thanks again, for the opportunity to post and for the great job you do in maintaining this site for the faithful.

7/26/03 - Greek in L.A.:

It was a magical night! We had Guacamole seats, so we sat in the pit, 4th row center...great seats! Jackson looked and sounded amazing! I would have loved to listen to him the whole night, but I did enjoy Steve Earle and Keb' Mo'. Steve really rocked and Keb' was just darling...so smooth & elegant!

During the opening acoustic set, Jackson & Steve sang Cocaine, then Steve sang Ellis Unit One and Keb followed with Don't You Know. I was wondering if Jackson alters the lyrics of his rehab version of Cocaine from show to show on this tour...I thought the lyrics sounded different from the Chicago 2003 show.

I'm not familiar with all of Steve's & Keb's music. I know Steve sang Amerika 6.0, Ashes to Ashes, Transcendental Blues, John Walkers Blues, Jerusalem, Harlan Man and Copperhead, and a couple of others. I loved Jerusalem and Copperhead. But it was rather hard to hear the lyrics. Keb sang Every Morning, That's Not Love, Keep it Simple, Soon As I Get Paid and a lot more, just not sure of the names. And of course, Just Like You with Jackson...lovely! Keb' is a wonderful performer so charming and very easy to listen to. My daughter fell in love with him...She also enjoyed Steve Earle. Jackson didn't seem to sing as many new songs, as I thought he would and he didn't do Culver Moon which I thought L.A. would appreciate! I loved Late For the Sky...beautiful and Fountain of Sorrow! I'm so glad I was able to see him perform For Taking the Trouble with Keb...one of my favorite new songs! In the Shape of a Heart was just heartbreaking, I couldn't hold my tears back. I like the newer version of These Days, a little faster beat...I've heard him say that it's more the way Nico sang it and how he originally wrote it. I also loved Jackson's big kiss to the audience!

The audience was pretty sparse at 7:30...I noticed Jackson scoping out the audience during the opening set. There were only a few of us in the pit...nobody was sitting in front of us, so we had a full view during the acoustic set! But by the time Jackson came out for his set, the theater was packed! Jackson even mentioned the fact that he was a little concerned at the opening, but was happy to see so many had finally arrived. He mentioned that L.A. was different, you know it's L.A.!

My family enjoyed the show...my son and his girlfriend commented that they liked this show much more than the one with Tom Petty. My son said he really listened to Jackson's lyrics at this show, especially In The Shape of a Heart...he didn't realize how sad of a song it was until last night. I guess sometimes they 'get it!' He was also impressed with Keb' Mo' and is planning on buying his CD.

7/31/03 - Viejas Concert in the Park in Alpine (San Diego):

Well, another magnificent show from Jackson, Steve & Keb'! Viejas Outlet Center & Casino is on an Indian reservation in Alpine. The theater is right in the center of the outdoor outlet mall. In fact, several times during the beginning of his set, Jackson asked, "Who is Liz Claiborne?" The clothing outlet was right behind the stage and every time Jackson turned around he could see their sign. I have to say that the venue was a little unusual but surprisingly nice! It's small & intimate... holds max of 1400 and parking was free! Jackson mentioned that the owner of the venue was an old friend of his.

We sat in the first row to the right of the stage...right in front of the speakers! All three came out at the beginning, as usual, and sang the same three acoustic songs. Steve's and Keb's sets were both outstanding.! I believe each added a song to their set list that I didn't hear at the Greek.

I thought Jackson sounded awesome...These Days and In the Shape of a Heart were beautiful! Jackson was pretty chatty...he mentioned that this was their last show with all three of them, though Keb & him still had a make-up for Colorado. He said lots of family & friends were at the show that night. He thanked the families of all the crew, band, and artists for letting them go on the road with him. Jackson's set list was pretty similar to the one at the Greek. He did My Stunning Mystery Companion instead of Late For the Sky. Jackson said that MSMC was his favorite song on the new album and I have to admit, Jackson and band did an exquisite arrangement of the song. By the time they played ROE, everyone was on their feet...quite a few of us were standing in front of the stage and dancing! The bonus was that he added a third song to the encore...Somebody's Baby. Not my favorite song, but the crowd was ecstatic and it was a perfect ending for a wonderful feel good evening!

Here's Jackson's set list:

Thanks Russ for your dedication to Jackson fans!

Hey Everyman (and woman),

I've always been a huge JB fan -- and always will. With that said, I found this tour very disappointing. I found the previous tour very exhilarating, and said so, in my comments that opened the June 2002 reviews.

Here's the problem -- we didn't get what we thought we were buying. Yes, we made an assumption it'd be like in the past, where warm-up bands would so a few songs, and then Jackson would do a couple hours. That's been the deal in the past. I met Shawn Colvin through Jackson, and John Hiatt -- and love them both. I love Keb 'Mo, and found Steve Earle entertaining as well. But we didn't go to see them (the largest percentage of us, anyhow). We went to see them warm up for Jackson. When you go to see Jackson warm up for Petty, you expect Jackson to pay 10 songs, and Petty to play a couple hours. That's the deal. We know. We get it. Or at least we thought we did. This is a first for me, where previously unknown performers get equal time with the legend. I'll be the first to defend Jackson's right to do this, but if he wants to, he should announce that up front, before we buy tickets all over the country, only to later learn about the equal distribution of time once the tour had kicked off in some cities. If we would have announced the unusual format -- ticket sales would have been much smaller, and those that did go would have no reason to complain. There's nothing wrong with playing 5 new songs, but hopefully that's from a mix of 25 or so, not from 11.

I can afford the money (luckily), so my compliant isn't related to that at all. I only drove an hour, so my complaint isn't related to that, either. It was just disappointing, and I hate reading all the negative reviews and agreeing with them. But that's the way it was -- this time. Hopefully, next time will be back to the old deal.

By the way, I do think Jackson goes out on the road for the money -- otherwise he'd play for free. So the understanding usually is, we the fans will pay you to play our favorites. If you don't want to play our favorites, don't do it, and don't take the money. I think it'd absolutely be terrible to be on the road all the time, playing Doctor My Eyes again and again, but it's a good paying job. See it for what it is. That's how my job is too. It's really a great job, but anytime you have to do anything over and over again, it gets old.

I really, really appreciate Jackson's attitude when he encounters his fans. I've met him several times, and he's as cool as anybody you'd ever know, and cooler than any celebrity you'll ever met.

I'm kind of shocked by those people commenting that the tour was three headliners -- did you really think it'd be equal time when you bought your ticket before the show got started.

I don't really care what 20-25 songs Jackson would play -- in fact, I think it'd be really cool to hear him do other people's stuff, as we'll as "If I Only Had A Brain." By the way, my show on this tour was at the adorable venue known as the Frase Pavillion, in Dayton, Ohio. I was in Vegas when Jackson was at the Alladin last week, and I didn't go because of the show's format. I can't believe I didn't go see him when I was in the same town. That's really unbelievable for a huge fan like me.

Keep the faith, and see you at the next show,

I read the letter from the disgruntled Red Rocks fan, and I agree on many points. Fiddler's is in no way comparable to Red Rocks, but given the choices 1) No concert at all if we HAD to have it at Red Rocks or 2) Fiddler's, I'll take Fiddler's any day. Hell, it's JACKSON. I'd see him anywhere he plays. While I don't think Ticketmaster was out to "screw us," They did manage to get in a rough groping. With our tickets not worth half what we paid, the one concession made was regardless of whether your tickets were reserved or general admission for Red Rocks, they reserved the first two sections of Fiddler's for the Red Rocks ticketholders. So likely, unless you camped out for 4 hours before the gates opened at Red Rocks for 4th row center seats (like I did), the seats reserved for us at Fiddlers were as good or closer to the stage as reserved seats at Red Rocks.

Now on to the show: the rain came to Fiddlers early and luckily held off, preventing another weather-related fiasco. Keb Mo' was his adorable, talented, charming self. He played to the few ladies up and dancing, coaxed a few others onto their feet, and generally won the crowd. He is simply amazing, and I think a wonderful complement to Jackson when they play together. Then Jackson took the stage. He was gracious, acknowledging the fans from Red Rocks who didn't get to enjoy the show there. He played a great mix of new and old stuff, throwing in a few gems like "For A Dancer" and "For Everyman," on request, which were a treat for me that I had never heard live. He acknowledged every member of his band, and his crew, then the most amazing thing happened, that a lot of people likely missed. One young roadie was summoned from the wings to fix Kevin McCormick's mike stand, then was kept on stage to help sing backup on Steve Earle's "I Ain't Ever Satisfied." Then on an encore "Redneck Friend," the guitar tech was brought out on stage and he played with Jackson, Keb, and the rest of the band. It was such a feel-good moment for me, but done in such a smooth and subtle way that many around me would have missed had I not pointed it out. I thought it was a great way to acknowledge the hard work of the people behind the scenes after the tour had ended. It was a great concert, albeit not Red Rocks, but worth the money anyway.

Dear Russ,

All I can say is it really was worth the wait (rescheduled from Red Rocks), Keb' Mo' was a fantastic opening act. I had never heard of him till the concert but he was very energetic and played some beautiful tunes. Jackson Browne and his band were awesome!!! They played requests and really seemed to be enjoying the crowd. At the crowds request JB adjusted the play list so we heard a little extra. I really appreciate the Museum of the Arts for providing the venue and the band for coming back. The last half hour I was standing in front of the center stage (JB said to ignore the people in the green shirts, security, and come up front and dance) for Take it Easy and Patriot (and other tunes). I thought it was the best concert I have seen in years. Thanks JB!

Hello To All

Like so many before, I have read some of the comments being made about the recent tour. I was at the show in Scranton and the show at Jones Beach. In the past, I have made some of the same comments in regard to short sets and choice of songs. There comes a point in your life when you must differentiate between Jackson's music and Jackson's message. Every time I get word that Jackson is coming to my area I get excited. Not because I need to hear him play a song I have already heard a thousand times, but to enjoy the experience and the meaning to his music. After just counting, I have seen him 9 times. Each show was significantly different to me, whether I saw him in Europe of the US or in a Church or in a field. I have brought my ex wife, my son, my friends and a few ex and my current girlfriend to atleast one show. Jackson has been the main bill in most, sharing the bill in some, the opening act in one and the only act as well. Just knowing that I have introduced someone to his music, and maybe made a new fan is rewarding in itself.

Now about the recent triple bill. In the last few years, I have become a huge Steve Earle fan. He played NYC last year and I was not able to get a ticket. Steve was high on my list of bands I wanted to see for the first time. When I read he was playing with Jackson, I was overjoyed. I was gonna pay to see Jackson anyway, but to catch Steve was to get two tickets for the price of one. Someone made a comment derogatory about Steve, they don't have a clue. If you want to know what Bruce Springsteen should have been like, start buying Steve's albums. His songs are inspiring and fresh, in an industry that has lost direction.

There will always be a wishlist in my head at every show, but just to be there is the real reward. I am reminded of Jackson every time I get in my car, or ride my motorcycle. The license plate on my car is L84THSKY, and the plate on my bike is HLDOUT. If you feel that there is a chance that you might be disappointed with a show, don't bother going. You're only gonna blame Jackson, for something that isn't justified.

Bye the way, I got 2 tickets to see the Jones Beach show for $7.00. If you check Ebay, there is a promotional ticket company that sells seats for cheap. The seats are not the best, but the price is right. I saw Lalapalooza (2 tickets) for $15.00 and still have 2 seats for Steely Dan that I paid $5.00. The Ebay ID is: getaccess

If you didn't like this show, then Jackson Browne's music just doesn't resonate with you or else you had extremely bad seats. The drizzling rain quit as if on que, with Keb Mo coming out. It being a pretty hot day, the rain cooled things off and quickly dried up. A beautiful evening; a prelude of things to come.

This being a reschedule event with Steve Earl playing his set a couple weeks ago, I figured we would get to hear longer sets from both of these guys. And I reckon we did. And by the way, Steve Earl rocks. A little angry, but he got your attention. I might have to check him out further.

I'm not familiar with Keb Mo's music but this guy was pretty cool. I did recognize one of his songs from local radio airplay. His energy was infectious and he got the good times rollin. When Jackson's band came out and accompanied him, it really sounded good.

After a short break, Jackson came out around dusk with "The Night Inside Me". I didn't think I liked that song. Boy was I wrong. In fact, I thought I would quickly get a little antsy if Jackson played too much of his mellow stuff - wrong again. I'll spare you all the details, mainly because I'm not that great at communicating them (and it takes too much time). But I will mention that the female vocalist/percussionist was especially uplifting. Everytime she smiled (which was all nite), she turned into a goddess and lit up the night.

Jackson and band took me on an emotional rollercoster ride and spit me out at the end, feelin drained, light, & happy. That's why I go to concerts. I've seen Jackson at least 7 times since 1978, and this was my best experience by far.

A good friend of mine shelled out the extra bucks for the Native American Rights Fund, which got us seats in the 8th row. Bless her heart. Any closer and I'd of had a crink in my neck.

And oh, I almost forgot to mention; those tickets also got us backstage after the concert for a little reception, with refreshments, a little talk by the Native American Rights Fund reps, Jackson, Keb, and yea, a several minute personal chat with Jackson himself and I think his girlfriend, and a couple pictures- just for proof.

Ah the laughter of the lovers
As they run through the night ............

I read FlatBedFordGirl's post reviewing this show, and I agree with her that Fiddler's did go out of their way to treat us Red Rocks refugees well. I ended up in the third row, far forward of my normal haunts, with no siege-tower-cum-lighting-platform to block a great view of the show. I've been in bars where I was further from the stage, and here again the earlier post was right: Fiddler's Green or not, no show sucks if your close enough. There sure were a lot more authority figures than I was accustomed to up there (anyone happen to notice the fat, bald guy with the one-inch ponytail?- guy took his job a little too seriously, especially when he moved to block the "stage rush" during the encores), but I guess heightened security comes gratis with a thirty-dollar upgrade.

Interesting that she used the word "concessions" in her remarks about the venue. I don't want to sound like I'm beating a dead horse here- we all know concerts are too damn expensive- but beer priced at $7.50 a pint seems a tad crass, even by entertainment industry standards. I mean, if I did my math correctly (there's 8 pints to a gallon, right?), that works out to sixty bucks per gallon. Odd country, the one whose citizens go to war to keep oil below thirty dollars a barrel but shell out over eight hundred for a keg of beer.

Jackson himself did seem sympathetic to our plight, and I thought he went out of his way to do right by us. I hadn't heard "Bright Baby Blues" in quite awhile; "For A Dancer" was great; and the way he slipped in all the parts of the "Dr-Imagination-These Days" trio made a nice connection between the early part of his performance (which followed the tour setlist pretty closely) and when he started taking requests with "For Everyman." He played extra long, too- I counted fifteen songs plus four more in three encores, and I could be missing one or two. Okay, so he didn't sing "Dire Wolf," but in something like forty shows I never chanced to hear the Dead do it, either.

So all's well that ends well, I guess. Ticketmaster has firmly established itself in my mind as a force of diabolical evil, the substitute venue at least told us it respected us while it was doing its "rough groping," and most importantly, Jackson didn't let us down. Given some of the things I've read on this site and elsewhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had just wanted to get it over with- come out after Keb', do a rote set, give us the finger, and go home- but he didn't, even though the tour was officially over and Steve Earl was already off playing another gig. Sunday night we were treated not to a musician fulfilling the obligations of a contract, but to an artist going the extra mile for those who (his words) "came out to this show twice."

Among people of pure and honorable hearts, dedication begets dedication. I should have remembered that. Sorry for the momentary waiver in my faith.

Peace,

I have been a huge Jackson Browne for sometime. This was my first JB concert. However, I have seen old videos and own all of his albums. Alpine was a nice quaint venue. To quote my wife Anna, "it was like going to a barbeque, and being treated to great music."

On to the concert, I was fortunate to sit on the first row in Section A. We were to the right of the stage, in front of the speakers. The openning set with Steve Earle, Keb Mo and Jackson was great. Steve Earle a fellow Texan was very good. He sounds like Bob Dylan with an electric guitar. Keb Mo was awesome. Jackson was better than I could have imagined.

I had read reviews from earlier shows of the tour. I thought he played more than long enough. Being greedy, I could have listened, as long as he wanted to play. JB's rendtions of Fountain of Sorrow, In the Shape of a Heart and These Days were the higlight of the show. I would say all in all it was a wonderful night.

I would love to see Jackson perform in an acoustic setting. JB, his guitar, piano and David Lindley's lap steel.

Thanks Russ

I would just like to say that I was lucky enough to see Jackson Brown for free this past weekend at Fiddlers Green in Denver Colorado. The original show at Red Rocks was canceled due to weather or electricity and they had to reschedule at this venue. It was advertised on the radio that the lawn tickets were free for a canned food donation. I was sure we would never get tickets and that they would be gone by the time my family and I went to the box office. I have been a fan since I was in high school in 1974, and have always loved this poet singer songwriter. What a beautiful night of music. Jackson was gracious and talked to the audience and even played a song or two that the fans shouted out. I had no idea he would play all his classic hits. This was my 4th time seeing him in concert and I dont remember him playing all these wonderful songs before. He seemed at ease and more mellow than ever and he still looks like a kid. I can't believe the place was not sold out, but I was glad it wasn't. I love you Jackson thanks for the memories. A Colorado Fan :)

Hi - I have a 5th row center ticket/reception pass to the VillaMontalvo, Saratoga, CA show Sept. 14th that I can no longer make. Thanks for this and all your postings Russ!!!!

Russ:

I had to let all the "fans" of Jackson Browne know that the previous reviews of this latest tour make no sense to me. I cannot believe that his true "fans" didn't care for this tour. Unbelievable!!!!! I have been a Jackson Browne fan since his days at Sunny Hills High School and have seen him over 20 times since the early 70's and this show was a spectacular evening.

Jackson started his show staying true to the set list, but altered a few things for some of our requests. I was fortunate enough to be sitting in the 3rd row and Jackson acknowledged me when I yelled "For Everyman". He actually played my request after he asked the audience if they wanted to hear my request. I felt as if I was a part of the show. Thanks, Jackson

Now for you fans that did not like this tour, I am shocked. Jackson played over 15 songs, 3 encores, 2 fan requests, only 5 songs of his new CD, and the rest was classic Jackson. How in the world could fans complain about this tour. It was spectacular. It also introduced us to Keb Mo. What a wonderful stage personality. It was the perfect opening act. As long as Jackson keeps touring, I'll continue to attend. Thanks for all the years of great entertainment. See you next time around, Jackson.

There is something kind of liberating about heading off for a concert - especially one where you take days off work to be there - then it's like a mini vacation - an adventure! My husband (Rodney) and I flew to Albuquerque in the morning and had a chance to relax and eat a leisurely lunch before driving out to the Pavilion. We arrived at 5 pm hoping to hear some of the sound check, but no luck there. They didn't open the gates until 6 and of course very few people were there at that time. Rodney originally wasn't going to attend the concert - he was going to wait in the car and read or something - but when we realized they had cheap lawn seats available he opted for that. I had guacamole seats in the centre of the 5th row!! Rodney said he wished he had a camera with him to take a photo of me sitting in my seat with absolutely noone else around me!! He went off to claim a good position on the lawn - centre front - and I just sat and waitedŠ I had some photos of my Jackson inspired artwork with me which I had been hoping to hand to someone, or put up on the stage for Jackson. I was hoping someone would come out on stage and I could ask them but the stage remained bare. Eventually I went for a walk around to the back stage entrance and who should be there but the same woman who was there at the Tom Petty concert last year. I had a huge conversation with her then and wondered if she remembered me. I walked up to her and reminded her of that show - she knew who I was - remembered that she was going to send me an email but explained that she had lost my address!

Anyway, while talking with her, another security guy came up and stood with us. He was obviously a friend of hers and he was working in the backstage area. He heard what I was asking and offered to take the photos back and give them to Jackson's manager. He came back a little while later and said that he had handed them over - who knows whether this will mean that Jackson himself will ever get to see them???? Headed back to my seat and a couple of women were now seated next to me - Mary & Caroline. They had driven in from California the day before!! We struck up a bit of a conversation - Caroline was obviously a die-hard fan ( had been one of 20 or so in the audience in Jim Ladd's living room recording!!) Amazing how easily you can speak with Jackson fans even if you've never met them before. Also spoke with Judy (Colorado) who found me before the show - funny how you greet one another like an old friend even though we've only been names in a café up to now! Okay - enough rambling - the concert...

The three came out and did the usual three songs - with the usual conversations in between. Two differences - during Cocaine, Jackson started playing the different riff too early and pulled one of those faces that told the world he'd made a mistake even if you had no earthly idea of what had happened!! - also I caught one of those looks out at the audience and I kept eye contact and smiled - he raised his eyebrows and smiled back - okayŠ there is the possibility that he was acknowledging someone else but for some reason I really felt it was meŠ (could just be that I was seeing what I wanted to see) - anyway - it was an awesome smile and I'm keeping it in my memory as mine! I loved Steve Earle! I was not sure after reading so many negative reviews of him but I thought he was terrific - so did Rodney. The sound was great and I could hear lyrics and everything. I was very impressed. Jerusalem was brilliant and Copperhead Road really rocked. Then it was time for Keb Mo - what an awesome presence he is! He just had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand - and what great hands he has (I know someone else commented on that - I love watching musicians' hands). And then came Jackson! Actually he rushed out on stage so fast and began so quickly I thought he was in a race or something. The set list was nothing different to many other shows so I won't bother with trying.

Highlights for me were: Lives in the Balance - what a stunning rendition of this song - like being at a world music concert - the different instruments; the passion Š just a masterpiece! Late for the Sky - what superlatives do I have left to use when describing how it feels to hear this song - in a beautiful setting, perfect weather, and not a sound uttered by the audience all through (can you believe?) - goose bump material if ever! He commented on the great skies you get in New Mexico and on how dry it was and how much water they had had to drink all day! He also said he had always loved coming to NM - used to fly there often because he had a girlfriend who lived there! Near the end a few people had begun to move up front and dance so I grabbed Caroline's hand and said come onŠ we walked down there and stood right in front of center stage for the last three songs. It was exciting to be that close - so much energy!! Ain't Never Satisfied was just superb - everyone smiling and singing and dancing - noone wanted it to end. Met up with Rodney and he was just ecstatic - thought it was great show and enjoyed every bit of it - he even said I just may have converted him to being a JB fan - he was so impressed with his set. I hate that these things have to end (I know Š "All good thingsŠ") but that high is just the best feeling and it carries over to the next few days as you remember small details and smile to yourself. I love travelling anyway - I love going to great concerts - oh to be independently wealthy to be able to do both at one's leisure!!

Hi, Russ! I also caught JB at the Greek Theater last month and was speechless. This is only the second time I've had the privilege to see him perform, and he is truly remarkable. I had never heard of Steve Earle or Keb Mo (I don't get out much!), but enjoyed them as well, especially Keb Mo. It was a wonderful show, with a perfect song set, and you couldn't ask for a prettier evening.

From The Denver Post

Sound Check: Plenty of Browne Music Left
By G. Brown, Popular Music Writer
Article Published: Friday, July 18, 2003

www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,,36%7E126%7E%7Efilter%7E7_18_2003,00.html

Just got home from Sunday night's Jackson Browne's concert at Hersheypark.-What a great night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!A great attentive crowd wilth very little screaming out requests. Set list was pretty much the except for the addition of a great rendition of Fountain of Sorrow. Lives in the Balance was dropped and Jackson sang I Am A Child from his first album. Jackson along with Keb Mo also sang Just like You, from the movie Holes. Jackson spoke on many subjects (nothing political) but referred to his friend Niko before singing These Days.