Jackson Browne - Fan Letters & Reviews
March 2000

First, I just want to tell you what a great site this is! There is so much information. I was browsing around your site, and decided that this may be the perfect place to share my "Jackson Browne Story".

When I was a teenager, I was a huge Jackson Browne fan. During the "World In Motion" tour, I went with a friend to see him at Radio City Music Hall for the first time ever. We must have been pretty captivated, because we decided to purchase as many tickets as we could for the remainder of his East Coast tour that summer. (We were just out of High School, so "freedom" was the key word for this time in our lives.).

I think we purchased about seven sets of tickets and saw shows in MA, NJ, NY & CT. Our plan was to follow the roadie's trucks. We would sleep in the car in the parking lot of the concert area and follow them to the next show.

Soon it occurred to us that maybe we could offer to "help" the roadies and maybe get to meet "the Man" himself. We sort of befriended a couple of the roadies, who managed to introduce us to Jackson. We jokingly called ourselves "Brownies". Jackson seemed suprised that we were so into him. I think he thought he was getting old or something. While many of our friends were following the Grateful dead, we had formed our own little group. The roadies referred to us as the "Tye -Dye Twins". We were on the adventure of our lives. Little did we know what lay in store...

Before we knew it, we were reaching the end of our tickets. The last shows that we were planning on seeing were at the concert grounds in Mansfield, MA, formerly know as "Great Woods". I think he did three shows. We had tickets for all of them.

The first night, we managed to score backstage passes from the Truck Driving Crew. They were so cool. We learned that they were also the truck drivers for The Rolling Stones and CSN. What a sweet job! Anyway, we got backstage! It was there, that we asked Jackson if he would play a song for us. We told him it was our last couple of shows and asked him if he could play a request for us. We requested "Sleeps Dark and Silent Gate". He said that he wasn't sure if he could remember how to play it (or something like that), but said that he would try. During the show that night, we were up in the very front. When you have a backstage pass, you get free reign over the concert area. So we were up there, an then it happened:

"I am going to play this one for a couple of kids. They have been following us on the east coast..." (I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was cool.) Then he played, "I thought I was a child". We were floored. Imagine the excitement...

That night, backstage, we thanked Jackson for playing us a song, We told him what a great adventure this had all been and told him, sadly, that this was the end of the road for us. The tour was rolling westward, with the next show in Columbus, Ohio. This was our last stop.

Jackson seemed suprised. Was this the only reason we were not going to continue with them on the tour? Before we knew it, he had his Tour Manager taking down our names. He told his manager to write our names down and to give us "laminates". MY GOD!! LAMINATES!?? He said. "show up at the next show in Columbus, OH. Go to the box office window and give them your names. They will have laminates for you."

So, as incredible as it may sound... we ended up spending the rest of that summer touring with Jackson Browne. We ate backstage with the band and crew. Hung out with Jackson's son, Ethan (he was just a young kid at the time - I guess he's a super model or something, now). We got to go up on stage and watch while they did the sound check. If we wanted to, we could even sit up on the stage and watch the show. We got to joke around with David Lindley and the rest of the guys from El-Rayo X. One night, (I don't remember where), Jackson introduced us to Stevie Ray Vaughn who had shown up, impromptu, and jammed for a couple of songs.

The experience is a vivid memory. As I write this letter, I wish that there was some way I could thank him for what he did. I don't think he knows what he gave us. It was remarkable. He is truly incredible.

So that is my story. I hope it wasn't too long. I will be going off to slumber now!

Thanks,

I'm like probably the only one on the face of this earth that really didn't know Jackson Browne's music. I've heard his songs, but never listen to his words. Well, I've stopped and listened and now I'm a true fan, better late than never. I started listening to JB about a month ago, and now I can't get enough. I just bought his video, so I can put the words to the face. He is incredible. I want to thank a "Sweet" man that opened my eyes to JB. I don't think I'll ever close them again.

Thanks for having this Website, I think I'm going to like it here.

I visited the Jackson Browne web site for the first time a few months ago and was over the moon with the wealth of information there. You probably have no idea what this means to us Brits who have no other way of finding out what is happening and when. Although Jackson is still a big enough name (in the early 80s he was very big) to sell out concerts here on the rare occasions when he tours Western Europe you may be surprised that most people have never heard of him or, even if the name is sort of familiar, couldn't name any songs. You mention "Take It Easy" - the response is "Oh the Eagles" - at which point you give up! I get the impression that he is pretty much a household name out your way. The only time he's had mention in the national press in the last year or so was over the Daryl Hannah incident when one or two papers raked it all up again when John Kennedy died.

I've been a JB fan since 1977 - I heard "The Pretender" once and I was absolutely hooked. Reading some of the letters on the web site I'm surprised that there are American fans out there who rarely make it to his concerts. Now I know you have a lot of land out there but is any distance too far to see THE singer songwriter of the last 20 /30 years play live? I've seen him live six times - most recently when he headlined at the Cambridge Folk Festival about three years ago. - I don't think he's been in the country since then. Actually he wasn't in a very good mood that night (some problems with the sound and equipment) and he sort of through a wobbler; but he always give great value. On that occasion he sang some excellent alternative lyrics to "Cocaine" - I can't recall all of them but one line went "You take Nancy, I'll take Ron, I wonder which drug they're both on" Anybody know the rest? I have the BBC2 recording of him doing solo versions of The Pretender and Take It Easy on that night.

Shows which really stick in my mind from over the years are the Looking East tour (Manchester) and Lives In The Balance tour (London).

There seems to be a suggestion from some correspondents who clearly manage to see Jackson play quite regularly that he doesn't change/vary his set as much as he might.. I've probably heard him perform about two thirds of the songs from his albums. Do others have songs that they have never heard him play but wish to god he would? - I offer "You Love The Thunder" (with or without the broken snare string!) and from the work of another West Coast artist - Warren Zevon's "Mohammed's Radio"

Any views out there?

Hi Russ, A friend of mine and myself (she in Alabama and me in Arkansas) were trying to make sure we got tickets to the Mobile show and wanted to get the best seats available without having looked at a seating chart, so we ended up with several extra tickets. We would like to sell them for face value plus the ticketmaster charge. There are some seats left for that concert but, they are not as good as the ones we want to sell. I thought maybe someone might be interested. Thank you for your site I visit often as I am a lone Jackson Browne fan in South Arkansas (I must be in the wrong place).