Review by Shawn Perry
Venues like the Greek Theatre were made for musicians like Jackson Browne. Picture this: a pleasant summer night at the hillside amphitheatre bordered by rustic pine trees and there on stage, a rack of acoustics ready to tantalize and captivate the tranquil settlers. Adding the ever quirky, avuncular David Lindley to the bill simply made the evening less tempestuous.
In 2006. Lindley joined Browne for a tour of Spain. Love Is Strange, a double CD that documents the trip, was released this year, so Browne and Lindley have reunited for a summer tour to promote the record. Lindley was billed as the opening act, but when he sauntered on stage in a comical mismatched outfit (a mishmash of polka dots and plaid and polyester), Browne was there for relief. The two pulled up chairs, grabbed a couple of acoustics and went at it.
They harmonized, complementing the moment on Warren Zevon’s “Seminole Bingo” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Brothers Under the Bridge,” before Browne took the lead on his own “For Everyman.” Even so, the two engaged in some intriguing acoustic interplay. At one point, Browne talked about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the plight of plastic on the world’s oceans.
Once Browne exited the stage, Lindley lightened the mood with a few comments of his own. “I love the Greek,” he said. “That’s why I dressed up. I looked at my suitcase and put it all on.” He mentioned he had just met Ravi Shankar and was backstage at a concert. Somehow, this lead to his views on backstage food, which he described in vivid detail during “Cat Food Sandwiches,” with its variety of head cheese and furry poker chips.
Browne returned with his band, many of whom have been with the singer for almost 20 years — Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitars), Mauricio Lewak (drums) and Jeff Young (keyboards, backing vocals), along with backing singers Alethea Mills and Dannielle Gaha. The set straddled the line between California laid-back mellowness personified and classic rock at its most invincible.
He began with “Off Of Wonderland” and “Time The Conqueror,” both from 2008’s critically acclaimed Time The Conqueror. Ingrained with dynamics and peppered with socially conscious references, Browne’s songs pack enough emotional heat to captivate the Greek — filled to capacity, an ebb and flow of unbridled sonic possibilities.
Lindley eventually rejoined Brown and company, and the ensemble continued to breath and exhale. Browne jumped from acoustic to electric to piano, moving the crowd to its feet for “Doctor My Eyes” and “Mercury Blues.” Tempo and time met at a crossroads for an eloquent slope thorough “Rock Me On The Water,” the band in salient repose to the song’s monumental build.
“The Pretender” and “Running On Empty” exposed the expanse of Brown’s palette, while an encore of “I Am A Patriot,” reinforced his convictions to activism and duty. At the end of the night, a heady mixture of hedonism and a call to action carried out from the theater, into the parking lot and through Griffith Park. Jackson Browne was home, still making the rounds, still pushing for change and the betterment of mankind. Even at this stage of the game, a dedication to his craft and ideals is far from running on empty.
