Jackson Browne - Fan Letters & Reviews
January 2000
Before I get into any negativity here, I send my best wishes to everyman and woman among us for a new year brimming with hope, love, joy, and a brand new Jackson record... As painstakingly slow as this process is for him, even he, I don't think, could manage to stretch it out beyond 2000. ;-)
On to the concert...
What a bunch of missed opportunities...
When I first heard about this show, I thought, "my gosh - the possibilities..." Linda, Jackson, and The Eagles - three quintessential acts from the same musical family, with such a rich, shared history - what a wonderful evening this could turn out to be.
These possibilities (and talent) were wasted. If you went to see only The Eagles, you were completely satisfied. They were wonderful. More open and spontaneous than they've ever been. I even gained a new-found appreciation for Joe Walsh, who until last night, I never really considered to be an Eagle.
The show was supposed to start at 8:00, and when we arrived at 7:40, we heard Linda on stage. Stunned, we popped our heads inside to find her singing, and to an all but empty room. Couldn't figure this out at all. Why would they make her go out before start time, and let alone when no one was there to hear her? What a complete waste of a probably wonderful set, and certainly not fair to those who wanted to see her. About 8:15 she was finished, and never to be seen again.
Jackson came out about a half hour later, likely wearing the same outfit that was described in Las Vegas. Though he looked good, I didn't really think the jacket suited him. Scott Thurston and Jennifer Gross were again with the band, as well as Arno Lucas on percussion. The set was all too short, and seemed to include the same songs as Vegas, but unfortunately minus "Barricades", as well as "The Next Voice You Hear". The audience loved him, and he left the stage with the crowd screaming for more. But, contrary to what everyone thought was a given, and all the other possibilities that could've taken flight, we never saw Jackson again.
How absolutely absurd is it, that The Eagles didn't include Jackson in "Take it Easy"? It was the last song of the night for god sakes - what a perfect opportunity for everyone to come together and play. Obviously there wasn't any interest after what happened the first night. What a shame, and what a waste.
I keep thinking about all this recent hoopla about The Eagles Greatest Hits album being annointed best selling album of all time, and wonder if that would've been the case if "Take it Easy" were not there. Sure, The Eagles would've become The Eagles, but they may not have gotten the kick in the ass that "Take it Easy" afforded them...
The Eagles were great. They're my favorite band, but the greed factor is over the top - both in matters of money, and in sharing the spotlight, apparently.
The biggest kick I've had from all this was opening the paper this morning, and finding a story entitled, "Rock Fans Celebrate With Signature L.A. Bands", with the caption reading, "From Brian Wilson to Los Lobos, the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, some of the city's most influential artists perform". And whose picture do they choose to show? I felt like a fat, happy cat to find the 3x5 color photo of... Jackson. Someone at the L.A. Times knew the score.
The show was good, but it could have been so much more. It could've had heart. The promise this night held was in the magic of the likely collaborations, and it's sad that The Eagles didn't want to take full advantage of it. It was a loss for everyone.
Funky New Year, indeed.
Dear Rick:
Shame on you for saying anything bad about Jackson!!!!! Over the years, there has been soo much good that he has given us. How could you even think of saying anything bad about him? We all have our bad days. Even his bad days are still wonderful to me. So next time you have something bad to say about Jackson, please just don't say it at all!:(.
Regards,
First let me say thanks for a wonderful site for us Jackson Browne fans. It's very good and the most up to date one I have found. I have one question and one comment. First, do you know where I can order JB merchandise like T-shirts? I had saved up enough money to buy a few at the show in Vegas a week ago but they only had Eagles merchandise available.
Now a comment about the 12/28/99 show....It was great to see JB again and really cool that David Linley was there with him. I wish it could have been longer and featured more of the stuff from the early years that could have featured Linley's great playing. My girlfriend has never seen Jackson but has long been a fan. This was her first show and she thought he was wonderful. I told her she must see him in a different format that allows him more time....heck he didn't even spend anytime with the piano. The main thing that upset me about the show was the Eagles neglecting to bring Jackson out for the show closer "Take It Easy". I was sitting behind the stage and Jackson had showed up in the backstage area during the last 20 minutes of the show. A road manager would occasionally come up to him a say something...and of course I was waiting for what looked like a planned event of JB and Glen Frey doing "Easy". During the second to last song "Desperado" Jackson went to the side monitors and was given a guitar....after Desperado was done...I saw Jackson start the opening chords of "Take it Easy" but you couldn't hear it....his guitar wasn't turned up. Unless you were seated behind the stage you didn't see this. Jackson then took off the guitar, waited for a second or two for the band to call him up and when it became apparent they weren't going to do that, he left. Now it appeared to me that this was a planned moment and the Eagles just blew him off. It left me with an unpleasant aftertaste to what had been an excellent night.
Any comments or help you can send my way would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Webmaster's Reply: I have yet to find a place on the Internet or elsewhere that sells Jackson Browne t-shirts and merchandise. I keep hoping that maybe someday his official Web site will add a store for official merchandise... but I doubt this will happen any time soon. If anyone out there knows of a good source for Jackson Browne t-shirts and merchandise, please write in and let the rest of us know.
No comment on the Eagles decision not to have Jackson join them on stage.
I've been out of commission for a few days but want to add my thoughts to the concert in Vegas. I really enjoyed it. Sure I've seen better Jackson shows but this was really an Eagles show. It was fun to see Scott Thurston and Jennifer Gross with Jackson. I thought he looked and sounded great. Maybe its because I'm obsessive. The one main gripe I had was the cost. During the Eagles intermission they played a video of the past century. It included so many images that made me realize that the money I was spending in Vegas should be spent on other things helping people. I really enjoyed Jackson's choice of World in Motion. We need to do more volunteer work and help people. This will be the last big dollar show I will see. I'll get off my high horse now but still some Jackson is better than no Jackson.
I have just about all of Jackson Browns albums and am in the process of updating them to CD's. I have loved Jackson since I was a teenager in Highschool and though I will not state my age, Jackson remains my favorite artist of all time. I now have my 16 year old listening to him and she loves it!!! She went from being a lover of rap music to a lover of really great music with alot of help from her Mom!! I have only been to two Jackson Brown concerts in my life and they were a blast. I sadly missed when Jackson was playing locally with Bonnie Rait. But will absolutley be there for the next time. A truly devoted fan!!!
I had the opportunity to meet Jackson after a concert several years ago in DesMoines, Iowa. It was a wonderful experience to say "thanks" for the gift of music and message he has shared over the years. I hope he will return again to the midwest this year.
Re: JB merchandise...."years" ago I bought a JB t-shirt from an ad in Rolling Stone magazine. Kinda dates me. I'd be interested in the year 2000 opportunities for a new t-shirt!
THanks again, Jackson.
Hi Everyone,
I know I'm getting a late start in sending this out, but thought I'd tell you about Saturday nights show. My husband had heard that Jackson was going to be performing along with Bruce Hornsby, Franc D'Ambrosio and an unannounced guest at a benefit concert for the Tony LaRussa Animal Rescue Foundation. This is a non-profit organization that raises money for programs and services that save animal lives. They are striving for a nation with no-kill shelters.
It's quite hard to get my husband to attend a benefit concert to begin with, as he would much prefer seeing Jackson for a full concert rather than just 7 or 8 songs, but since we weren't able to attend the shows in Vegas or L.A. we decided to go for it.
We purchased the tickets for $50.00 each, however, there were other ticket prices available. I'm not exactly sure on the prices, but I believe they had $100.00 tickets that included a reception after the show, and either $200 or $300 tickets, which included dinner before the show.
As we entered the auditorium we quickly noticed how nicely dressed everyone was. We both started to get the feeling that there was more to this night than just Jackson, Bruce, Franc and that one unannounced guest. The auditorium was very nice. Our seats were in the balcony, but honestly there wasn't a bad seat in the place. It was at this time that I started thumbing through the program and saw that Rick had definitely missed something when he heard the ad for the concert. The line up was as follows:
We were quite surprised to see this and knew we would definitely get more than we had expected. During the night Tony LaRussa introduced some sports personalities as well that were there to help support this cause....Bill Russell, Vida Blue, Mark McGuire, John Gruden, and Lon Simmons.
Each singer sang 3-4 songs, and Rick and I were hoping that they would give more time to Bruce and Jackson. When Tony introduced Bruce, Jackson came out instead and said that he didn't want to come out alone and follow Bruce with his 4 piece band, so they decided to change the line-up. He began with I'm Alive, and then mentioned that he had had a request from someone (believe it was Tim Flannery) for a song that he had written while he was still in high school. He went to the piano and played These Days. The problem was, the piano bench was set for Bruce, so Jackson had to borrow two phone books to sit on! It was a real treat to hear this song though. After this, he said he would like to bring on a fellow band member from their recent tour, and introduced Bonnie. The crowd was thrilled, and they began World in Motion. There was a problem with her guitar, however, and it took a bit to get it going. Jackson commented that it was "slide-us interruptus", and got a chuckle from the crowd. Before they started WIM, Bonnie mentioned that Jackson should auction the phone books, and she had $100.00 on the left cheek! What a character. Well, I was afraid that since I had forgotten my pen, I would forget the set list, unfortunately, that was the set list! Jackson said that it was time to bring on Bruce, but he would be back. I'm not sure how long Bruce played, but people started to leave as it was getting quite late. Jackson came on one more time and he played a jazzier version of The Next Voice You Hear, with Bruce and Bonnie and that was it! I couldn't believe it! As special as it was to hear These Days, it was still so disappointing.
It was a very entertaining 5 hours though and I'm glad that my money went to support this cause, but sure wish I could have heard more from Jackson.
All in all it was a great evening and I would love to be able to attend again next year. BTW, if any other listmembers were there, you must have seen us...we were the only ones in jeans!
Happy New Year Everyone!
P.S. If anyone is interested in donating to this organization the address is: Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation, P.O. Box 30215, Walnut Creek, CA 94598-9215 USA or visit their Web site at www.tlr-arf.org
I think Jackson is a very talented singer, and is defiantely one of my favourites. But I think some people are too defensive about their loyality to JB. I don't see why Fan Letters & Reviews isn't a forum for opinions. I don't think it always has to a Jackson is god forum. I resent the fact a message would be posted saying don't say anything bad about Jackson because I don't like it. I like Jackson but I don't think a complete shrine is needed.
Webmaster's Reply: I absolutely agree with what you are saying. I'd certainly never ask that letters be confined to only saying nice things about Jackson. But if I didn't post the letter above that felt that way, I'd be just as guilty of supressing freedom of expression. So I posted it. I'd like to keep this as a place where people are allowed to freely express their opinions... whatever they may be. On the other hand, I do ask that people be polite and on topic.
As I was recuperating from the Y2K flu bug, I popped in one of my favorite VHS tapes--a variety of J. Browne segments taped from different shows. One recording was from a special A&E had on a few years ago, spotlighting Bruce Hornsby, Billy Joel and Jackson Browne. At the end of his section, they show him in concert, singing "Take It Easy" and "Our Lady Of The Well". Along with the band, there is a woman accompanying him on the violin. He is wearing an oxford shirt and blue jeans and boots, and looks to be on the younger side. I was wondering if anyone knows where and when that concert was recorded; I was just curious as to how old he was in the clip. Thanks Russ, for the opportunity to pose this question to anyone who may know the answer.
First and foremost i would like to complement you on your first class web site. i am a 21 year old college student that loves jackson brownes music. he is the best. i learned to love his music through my parents and my uncles. so being away from them at college i have a tendency to feel like i am the only one who even knows of him.i have gotten most of my friends to listen to him and most like it, but your site always makes me feel at home with true fans. there is nothing better than jb after a good night of college women and beer. i have been finding lately that girls go crazy for him...thanks jackson!
anyway, my only problem is i have never seen him live. so if anyone knows or hears of him playing a gig in the northwest anytime soon i would appreciate it being posted so my friends and i could get the whole experience. i would like to think i am doing my part to pass on this mans wonderful music that meant so much to your generation on to mine. thanks and keep up the great work
Webmaster's Reply: Jackson currently has no concerts on his calendar and has no plans for a tour. He's hard at work on a new album. Once the album is done and a release date is set, maybe he will think about a tour to support the album, but don't expect anything before then. Either way, I post all tour and benefit dates on this Web site as soon as the dates come in, so check back every now and then.