Having attended shows the prior two evenings (BOREDOMS that Wednesday and BEACH HOUSE the night before), this was a change of pace for us. For starters, neither of us had ever been to the Keswick Theatre before. Given that this show was in a theatre setting, we would have seats, which would definitely help us not feel too tired. What really helped, though, was JOE JACKSON’s typically great live performance.
The last time I saw Joe, he had GRAHAM MABY and DAVE HOUGHTON back him and this time he had them back in tow. However, since his excellent new album Rain came out a few months back, the set naturally featured more selections from that album as well as a few surprises from his vast back catalog. It should be noted that Joe is one of my favorite musicians of all-time, but for a while he had a tendency to misproduce his own records (he especially loves odd electronics that don’t seem to fit with his style) and the lack of a band made for less satisfying albums. Thus, it’s refreshing that for his last few albums, he’s played with his original late ‘70s bandmates and has cut two remarkable (though very different) albums in the last 5 years that play to his strengths (buoyant pop melodies, acidic lyrics). Even when his albums have been less than stellar, though, he’s always been an excellent live performer an the live arena is where he really thrives. This show, fortunately, was no exception.
Opening with a version of his biggest US hit “Steppin’ Out” that started slow and then eventually sped up into its original disco-paced rhythm, the show deftly alternated between old hits and selections from Rain. Of the latter, “Invisible Man” and “Too Tough”, naturally, were excellent as they are on the record. However, “Wasted Time”, one of his best ballads and my favorite tune on Rain, wasn’t played. Although he covered plenty of ground from his most popular period (1979’s Look Sharp! up through 1984’s Body and Soul), it wouldn’t be a Joe Jackson show without a curveball or two. For this evening, he played several songs from 1991’s overlooked Laughter and Lust album. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard him play these songs. When I saw him at the now defunct Bottom Line in 1999 (with Maby on bass and GARY BURKE on drums), he played a bunch of songs from that album, including “Goin’ Downtown”, which he played on this evening. The other selection, “Stranger than Fiction”, was a Latin-tinged number reminscent of his early to mid ‘80s work and was also one of the album’s singles.
Nevertheless, although I undoubtedly enjoyed these relatively obscure numbers more than most others in attendance, the absolute pleasure of crowd pleasers like “Breaking Us in Two,” “You Can’t Get What You Want (‘Til You Know What You Want),” “On Your Radio,” “It’s Different for Girls” and of course “Is She Really Going Out with Him” (complete with audience backing vocals) cannot be denied. Still, as a big fan I also loved hearing “Chinatown”, an obscure number buried in the middle of side 1 on his 1982 smash Night and Day. Furthermore, the biggest surprise of the evening came when he covered DAVID BOWIE’s “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)”. It’s not surprising that he would choose to cover a Bowie song, as he’s often stated that Bowie is in fact one of his musical heroes and furthermore, I’ve heard him cover “Life on Mars” and “Drive-In Saturday”. However, those songs seem tailor-made for Joe’s piano-led style and this particular number, well, doesn’t. It was a bit awkward watching him attempt to fit it to his style, but ultimately I think he actually succeeded.
In summary, this show pleased both the diehards and the casual fans alike. Joe’s voice, as always, hasn’t lost anything in almost three decades and Maby and Houghton are playing excellently as well.
To paraphrase FEAR’s 1981 classic “New York’s Alright if You Like Saxophones”, opener MUTLU’s alright if you like bland folk mixed with a dash of neo-soul. Needless to say, it wasn’t my thing at all.
The picture above is from Joe’s show a few days ago at Town Hall in New York. It was taken by VINCE HARDY (photos here) and is used with permission.
