"In the evening when you see my eyes,
Looking back at you no disguise,
I'm not sure who you think you'll see,
I'm just hoping you'll still know that it's me"

This verse from "Call it a Loan" (the only song co-written by Jackson and David Lindley) sums up the emotion and feeling of the night .... yes, there were no disguises - Jackson as youthful as ever; David referred to as the the "Polyester Prince", unassuming and gentle, playing every song with passion and a "knowing" how to complement Jackson's voice and melodies.

My wife and I were privileged to sit in the third row - the closest I have got to any performance! Jackson at one stage through the concert referred to the audience as melancholy. But for me I couldn't clap and shout - I was awestruck and just wanted to soak in the moment. I've waited a lifetime to see David and Jackson together ... never thinking it would ever happen. They blessed us in coming to Australia, there is no doubt.

I was also particularly pleased to see Luis Conte making up the trio. He plays on "I'm Alive" and is featured in the performances on the brilliant DVD "Going Home".

We had travelled from Adelaide to see them, and the venue was beautiful and comfortable. Jackson seemed to appreciate it. They played the set list they have been doing for this tour. The small deviation was Jackson playing a request for "Something Fine". He decided to play it to test out how Luis would accompany him. David could do whatever he liked!

For me some of the highlights were David's fiddle accompaniment on "Barricades of Heaven" ... the arrangement was superb. (I'd love to have a recording of that.) Other songs that I enjoyed were "For Taking the Trouble" from his latest studio record. David played the bouzouki. I'm glad we took the trouble to travel over 1,000 klms for the experience.

We also enjoyed David's two songs from his album "El Rayo-X". Jackson joked about this song ... the translation of the second verse is :

"I am the hairy scorpion
That bites you in the desert
When daylight fades away,
Only the wind remains" ... (strange!)

But it was funny, with David singing high and Jackson harmonising ... they seem to enjoy their differences and celebrate their musical gifts.

For those intrested in keeping a record of play lists ... this was it:

I'm Alive
Call it a Loan
Too many Angels
The Pretender (the only keyboard played song for the night)
The Crow and the Cradle
Lives in the Balance
For Everyman
Mercury Blues (David ... a song about being crazy about a Mercury car ... our equivalent in Australia for me would be a Monaro ... or in the US an Adelaide-made Pontiac GTO!)
El Rayo-X (David)
Carmelita (a Warrren Zevon tribute)
Someting Fine (by request)
These Days (Jackson said this was the first song of his that he heard David playing)
For Taking the Trouble
Barricades of Heaven
Running on Empty
Encore:
Love is strange - (terrific fun song which David sang high harmony response - love to hear this again -
flowing into....)
Stay.
Finale song: Looking East.

I have read that some fans have wondered about finishing a concert with this song, but I can understand Jackson's sentiments ... when he says songs like these need to be sung in dark times. This song actually is a song of hope:

"Power in the insect
Power in the sea
Power in the snow falling silently
Power in the blossom
Power in the stone
Power in the song being sung alone...
The power of the sunrise and the power of a prayer released
on the edge of my country I pray for the ones with the least..
Where I wait for the sun
Looking East".

This perfomance was the day before Good Friday. We all need to hear songs of hope ... how prayers can be released and how there is a god-sized hunger in the world ... that only God Himself can satisfy.

Thanks Jackson, David and Luis for coming Down Under! We have been blessed. One final highlight for me was meeting David Lindley after the concert in the foyer. He seemed quietly spoken and gentle, and appeared to be enjoying his time is Australia.

That evening I saw their eyes, I saw no disguises, no pretence or arrogance, I saw and heard three excellent performers, sharing each others' gifts with a sense of humour, and as always a message to give.

Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to read this, and for the wonderful website Russ ... God bless you all,

Ok, I know this is supposed to be for fan letters and I am a very big fan but I actually have a question. I read an interview once back in the 80s, I think it was in Rolling Stone, and Jackson Browne said he was teaching some songwriting in his son's school. How cool! Now I'm a teacher. Not a music teacher but a high school history teacher and I'm very curious if he ever like published some kind of lesson plans. I think songwriting would be a very effective vehicle for students to explore a deeper meaning in what they're learning. Who better to learn from but the best? Does anyone answer these? Thanks!

Hi Russ,

In response to using songs in the classroom and Mack2... I've never taught songwriting; however, I am an English teacher and I've used songs in the classroom for this. I use them in my freshman comp classes instead of poems to help students learn how to understand and analyze a piece of literature. Most of them believe that there is some magic to understanding and analyzing literature, but there isn't and because they tend to hate the literature teachers pick, I get them warmed up, and show them how to understand and analyze literature by beginning with something they can relate to -- songs.

I bring in the lyrics and a cd player and distribute the lyrics and play the song. Then we go over it just as most profs do a poem, talking about the imagery, etc. that the songwriter used and what he or she might have been saying. Then I have them select their own (usually) favorite song and do the same and write a 2-3 page paper on it. The students are very excited that they can use music in their writing, and it usually gets students who are normally resistant to writing involved and excited about writing and reading. Plus, it's a whole lot of fun and the students are totally taken off guard that something like this is going on in a freshman comp class!

Before English, I majored in history, and I would imagine that songs could be a tremendous part of a history class, exploring them as both a record of history and a record of protest, just for starters. Woody Guthrie's would be incredible for the mid-part of last century (Joel Rafael has a couple of great CDs doing Woody); the blues and r & b as part of studying the early 19th century and into the 40s. (I have a book called "What Was the First Rock 'N' Roll Record" and it covers 50 r&b songs that were closest to being the first rock 'n' roll record. For each song, there's a couple of pages of history about the song. There's a ton of history that isn't often covered when you look at history through r&b.) I don't know much about music before the beginnings of jazz in the U.S. (I once took a history of jazz class), but I'm sure there's a lot of info out there. Plus, songs from other cultures as part of world history. I think Mack2 is really onto something thinking about using songs in the classroom. And, listening to some of those songs then writing their own like them -- in the way an English teacher often has students write a poem in the style of someone they read -- might be a very cool process for some.

Finally, I would imagine that some of the songwriter associations have some good books on writing a song. I don't know any names of associations at the moment, but an Internet search would probably bring them up quickly. Maybe Mack2 could have a local songwriter come in and do a workshop or something. Boy, I'm so grateful this came up! I'm doing a workshop in July for families on the environment with art and writing projects. I'm now going to add a little music to it! I don't know how I could have forgotten to add the music!!! Duh!

Anyway, good question. Hope I didn't get too carried away! And thanks guys for the inspiration!

Dear Jackson Fans,

The Blues and Roots Festival in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia was my 8th time seeing Jackson live. I was 19 years old the first time I saw him play in Sydney and my dad was 18 when he first saw him play. Between us we have seen him 14 times. Anyway what happened in Byron to make it so cool was that not only did Jackson play a song on my request he then said, "Thankyou for requesting that song, that is a good song." The song was I AM A Patriot, by Steven Van Zandt. I love the way Jackson sings this song, it is one of my favourite songs of all time, and I have wanted to hear him sing it live since I was a kid. It was the best and who knows mabye he will sing it again next time he plays here, no matter what as long as he keeps coming back dad and I will always see him play we love it!

Hi Russ - in the letters section someone was asking about Jackson teaching at his son's school in an old RS article. I know that Jackson developed some kind of song writing curriculum for Scholastic Books, a children's publisher. I have searched their website and could find no reference, but I heard of this in years past and believe it exists. Maybe a teacher can ferret this out for us. Thanks,