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Fan Letters & Reviews December 2008 GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Dear Russ, I've been holding on to this memory contemplating writing to your site to share my Jackson meeting experience. I finally feel ready to share and what an experience it was - truly one of the highlights of my life. I live in Ventura and have been listening to Jackson for more than 3 decades. My husband is a long time Jackson admirer as well and it is one of the common threads we discovered in each other early on in our friendship years ago. One morning I sat in my backyard with my coffee reading my neighbor's local paper because they were on vacation. Buried in the middle of the pages was a small article about Jackson Browne receiving an award at the Earth Charter Summit and Awards Ceremony on October 11 at Ventura College. The thought crossed my mind that he just might show up for such an event. I took a chance and informed my husband we were going to an event that day to check it out (he's thankfully easygoing!) and at the least we would learn something new and meet some interesting local people who are actively involved in making our community a better place. Just a little FYI - living in this area we have a lot of opportunity to see Jackson in concert and do so every chance we get. Just in our area we have seen him at several places in Santa Barbara, the Ventura Theatre, Arroyo Verde Park for the Ventura Hillsides Benefit, Libby Park in Ojai for benefit concerts, etc. We have never tried to meet him or hung around after a concert. So this chance to meet him was a first and probably only for us. We arrived on time in a small room and found seats near the front. There was quite a variety of people there. The CD Time the Conqueror played softly in the background. Once the speaker started I settled in to listen accepting that Jackson was not going to be there. After a few minutes I happened to turn my head towards the door as it opened and in walked Kevin McCormick with Jackson. Kevin kindly walked Jackson up to the front row seats and saw that he was seated among other award recipients and then Kevin found a seat elsewhere. My husband and I were probably 8 feet away from him and I was thrilled but did my best to pay attention to the various speakers and not keep my eyes on Jackson. It was a truly heart warming experience just being there among so many giving people who devote so much of their lives caring for others. There was humor, laughter, tears, and education. Jackson was the last to receive his award and he was incredibly gracious. How wonderful of him to take time out to come to this little room in a little community college in Ventura in the middle of his tour. I had just seen him at the Arlington in Santa Barbara the week before on October 3. During the refreshment and mingling time my husband and I first talked to Kevin McCormick, met his wife and kids, and they were so very kind and warm. Kevin told us this was Jackson's only day off before taking off for the rest of his tour. When we told Kevin we were at the Arlington for their concert and that it was great and we loved it he said "Was it? We might think it goes well but we're not always sure". I thought that was interesting and also humble of him. He encouraged us to talk to Jackson and tell him how much his music meant to us because he really likes hearing it. We said our goodbye's to Kevin, he said "see ya at the beach" (he lives in Ventura) and we turned towards Jackson. I admit I felt a little awkward but knowing this was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet my favorite musician of all time helped me overcome my apprehension. My husband and I waited our turn to talk to Jackson and he was so gracious. My husband talked the most and they ended up sharing a little talk about spirituality and prayer and discovered someone Jackson knows lives very near our second home in Carpinteria. I was pleasantly surprised it was not awkward at all and the conversation flowed easily. I brought him a gift discreetly in a thin bag from the welcome table I manage at our local church that included a CD of contemporary worship music and a current and very relative message from our Pastor about loving people. I believe it is something anyone of any faith could digest. My Pastor happens to be a Jackson Browne fan and we had just given him the Time the Conqueror CD for his birthday the week before and he loved it. I actually invited Jackson to church in Ventura if he ever cared to visit and told him our Pastor said to tell him he would be among friends! Jackson was gracious enough to ask me questions and listen to me tell him a little about some of the social justice ministries we are involved in. He allowed me to tuck my gift bag under his arm as we spoke. We probably had about 15 minutes of his time and there were others waiting to speak to him. My husband asked me if I wanted to stay longer and I said no, the experience I had was enough. We walked out, on a cloud, without looking back. It truly was enough and so special. Last but certainly not least he allowed us to have pictures taken with him. I treasure them. My husband was as excited if not more excited than I was. To put this in perspective - we are a middle aged couple (48 and 58) and before we even had our first date one of the questions my husband asked was "so do you like Jackson Browne?" Since my husband is a drummer one of our favorite things to do is put on a Jackson CD that my husband plays drums along with while I dance around singing out of key as happy as can be! I know this was long but I hope someone enjoyed reading and hearing another story about someone we admire so. Blessings, Submitted by: rhonda.roller@ventura.org (Rhonda in Ventura) GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Does anyone know how the sales of the new CD are going? How about tour numbers? I sure hope they are both right 'up there'! Happy holidays to all. Submitted by: pat412@mac.com (Pat) Webmaster's Reply: GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: DO NOT NOT NOT NOT Go to his current concert. He all but totally disrespected the fans you put him on the map and tons of $$ in his pockets. He played at best 5 and not completely , at that, of his hits. It was 95%+ off his new album which I would not buy or accept for free. I'd never go to another JB concert again!! I the interest of fairness, I hope this voice makes it on the WWW. Submitted by: jquartano@mayer-cap.com Webmaster's Reply: GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Hi Russ. In case you hadn't heard...JB was at Largo last night (December 11th) as one of the guests at the Watkins Family Christmas show (along with Glen Phillips from Toad the Wet Sprocket and a host of other musicians, entertainers, a magician, etc), it was a pretty "interesting" show. Jackson (complete with his "Time the Conqueror" beard) sang three songs: Let it be me (duet with John C. Reilly) cover of Dylan's "Desolation Row" Giving that heaven away All the time accompanied by Benmont Tench on piano. Submitted by: johncdaly55@yahoo.com (John) CONCERT REVIEW: November 29, 2008 at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, CA First, thank you for supporting Jackson Browne and his inimitable music. I have been a fan since the late '70s and have been attending JB concerts since '82. In the early 90s I attended an event, in Pgh, PA, where food was served. It was filled w/rude, (hungry alcoholics, as well), disgustingly poor excuses for fans. So much so, that it prompted Jackson to announce, "Remind me never to do a show where food is being served, again." Well, last night in Santa Monica, CA, I was treated to the usual wonderful performance by JB; however, it was virtually unwatchable due to the depth of rude, drunken, arrogant, wanna-be fans that my ticket purchase had left me surrounded by. I was in Section B, row 22, just to the right of center stage. It took EVERY ounce of control I had to keep me in my seat, as well as keep the idiots surrounding me from being uncerimoniously tossed-out on their heads. Snobbish scum who have as much in common w/JB as GWB...What a joke! While performing 'Late for the Sky', people were chatting, laughing and chomping popcorn...REAL FANS...LOL. This type of inexcusable behavior defined the event. Anyway, I'm sick and tired of concerts being ruined by pieces of garbage such as these clowns! Do the true fans a favor...STAY HOME and listen to the trash that has transformed you into the waste that you've become. Thank You, A TRUE JACKSON BROWNE FAN Submitted by: mbreegle@hotmail.com GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Russ, Just a quick note to say thanks for the great JB site. Your balance is admirable and no doubt, sometimes difficult to express. You are fair, but oh so knowledgable, that I am grateful you responded to "Mr. I Want The Hits" letter in your Dec. 2008 letter section. I took my daughter and son-in-law to the Orpheum show in LA and it was great. Hands down. Thanks again, for a great job. Submitted by: jamestcarrillo@gmail.com (Jim in Simi) GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Hi Russ! In response to the women that is upset with Jackson and his concert. The new issue of Rolling Stone Magazine has named "Time The Conqueror" as one of the best albums of 2008. The single "Time The Conqueror" is on the top 100 best singles list. I agree with Rolling Stone. It is a fantastic album from beginning to end. Here is the link for the album. It comes in at 22 on a list of 50. It is so exciting to see his music with all these albums by younger artists! album http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24958695/albums_of_the_year/16 The single http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24947047/singles_of_the_year/13" target="new" Submitted by: petefletch@yahoo.com (Peter) GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: I was wondering where Glen Phillips went, if it is the same group from Atlanta, GA. I enjoyed talking to the drummer whenever they came to Boston. And, speaking of Boston, I do hope Jackson Browne will travel here again but he will probably go to Portland, ME., since its bigger there - Happy Holiday, Everyone. I hope he continues with the can drive. It really is important. Submitted by: gbajoseph@msn.com GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Hi Russ, I wanted to write to let you know that my wife and I had the great pleasure of seeing Jackson in concert in Tokyo in late November! The show we attended was the last of his three concerts on his brief tour of Japan. He played at Shinjuku Kosei Nenkin Kaikan Hall. By coincidence, we also saw Jackson play at this hall over a decade ago. Compared to his show in Los Angeles at the Orpheum Theatre, Jackson did not talk too much (which was understandable, due to the language barrier ;-). Nevertheless, he seemed in good mood. After the first song or two, Jackson said he thought this evening's concert would be their best show of the tour. The band played superbly as usual (although Mark Goldenberg did hit one tiny little off-key clinker in his slide work for Time the Conqueror. The poor guys and gals in the band were probably wrestling with jet lag!) Compared to the LA show, the difference in his song selections--as far as I can recall-- is that he also played: These Days Late for the Sky (instead of The Drums of War) The Loadout - Stay (additional encore) Take it Easy (Eagles version: additional encore) The audience seemed very stiff and quiet--which often happens at concerts in Japan--but toward the end, people finally warmed up a bit, and stood up, cheered and applauded. In LA, for example, the audience gave Jackson a standing ovation when he took the stage for the first time (of course, that was a friendly home-town crowd for JB). But in Tokyo, only some warm applause greeted Jackson. The somewhat reserved audience stayed seated. Just one of those cultural differences you come across over here, I suppose. Just before the first encore, a small Japanese girl (maybe about 7 years old) approached the front of the stage, carried on her dad's shoulders. She handed a small bouquet to Jackson. The audience applauded very warmly at the sight of Jackson leaning forward, silhouetted in the stage lights to receive the bouquet. It was a sweet moment, and warmed the crowd up even more for the final encore. It's been more than a week since we came back from Japan to LA, but I am still suffering from the jet lag! Meanwhile, after the November 24 concert in Tokyo, Jackson came back to LA and played the "Benefit for Hurricane Relief" on November 29 in Santa Monica. I am always amazed at how these musicians--like Jackson and his band--can manage to deal with jet lag and fatigue and get up on stage and perform a high-energy show. It must be really exhausting! This time, Jackson had only three concerts in Japan, so he and the band probably had only about a one-week turnaround on a trip all the way to Tokyo and Osaka! Then to come back, heavy with jet lag, and take the stage for a great cause (like the hurricane relief show). That's gotta take a lot of heart! This year we were super-lucky to have had the chance to enjoy Jackson's "Time the Conquerer" concerts on both sides of Pacific! Jackson has a huge fan base in Japan. I'm always surprised by how his music gets through to an audience for whom English is not their first language. I think of Jackson primarily as a very literate songwriter. His lyrics are very important, more central to his music, than the lyrics of a lot of other pop or rock tunes. But somehow, for Jackson, the "words and the music came through..." Thanks for making the long trip all the way to Tokyo, Jackson! It was a rare treat to see you over there. Please come back soon! Submitted by: flat5guitar@gmail.com GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Hi Russ, I am a life long fan of JB. Instantly got hooked at 13 when 'Running on Empty' first came out in 1977. At one time my favourite pastime was singng his songs from start to finish from different albums as I memorize all the lyrics in my head. I am also a long suffering fan because I have never managed to see him live in concert.Why?Because I live in Malaysia,which is not a place that JB would prefer to hold a concert. I really envy those who have seen him countless times as I most probably won t get the chance unless I travel to the US or Europe. Sorry to bother you with my grievances but just like to let you know that JB s fans are world wide. Thanks and regards Submitted by: rec.mgr@thepulai.com.my (Abd Aziz A., Malaysia) GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: Hello Russ, First, thank you for this site. It is my "go to" source for all things Jackson! Second, to you and yours, and all Jackson fans out there, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May 2009 bring you many opportunities to see Jackson live!! I wanted to send a response to jquartano's "critique" of Jackson's new album and concert tour. I was fortunate enought to see Jackson in Kansas City at Ameristar Casino in October. I will not review the concert (others have already done so, and done so much more eloquently than I could), but I did want to say that evening was amazing! In reviewing your stats from the show you saw in LA, I think the KC show was pretty much the same show -- that is 38% were new songs and the rest were from his earlier work. My question to jquartano is, "Exactly what do you think is respectful when it comes to you?" This show was amazing in its intimacy (obviously, not when compared to his acoustic solo concerts) given the fact that he had his band in tow. As my wife and I set out for the show, I cautioned her that this was going to be about his new album and not full of his earlier work. After he finally played a "new song" -- 5th song in -- my wife gave me the gentle jab that I "really knew my Jackson." In any case, jquartano sounds like someone who's extent of Jackson Browne collection contains only "Greatest Hits," and would probably enjoy himself much more if he had been at a George Bush rally. As much as I enjoyed this tour, I am looking forward even more to the upcoming 2009 tour as it will be my kids' first Jackson Browne concert. Submitted by: jamesm1961@msn.com (James M.) GENERAL FAN COMMENTS: I sincerely wish you and your beloved relatives, a Merry Christmas and a great 2009, Russ, and please keep this site well updated and alive, because it give us so much pleasure and satisfaction. Submitted by: jpato@apeb.pt (Jorge) Go To Jackson Browne Fan Letters and Reviews from January 2009 RETURN to Jackson Browne Fan Letters Page RETURN to Jackson Browne Home Page |