Making his 3rd appearance in the Western New York area in the last 4 years, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jackson Browne is making a nice little home for himself here. Even on a night that included the largest cancerfundraiser the Ride for Roswell, the NHL draft and another show with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Browne still packed the place as he delivered a solid hour and a half set.
Going back and forth between the piano and the electric and acoustic guitars, Browne gave a very diverse showing from the last time I saw him in 2014. That show was just an acoustic tour with a few piano numbers sprinkled in. This time he had a 6 piece backing band and they were locked in and loaded. Being that Browne has always been an activist, this show took on extra meaning. The song “Long Way Around” has as one of the verses: “It’s never been that hard to buy a gun, now they’ll sell a Glock 19 to just about anyone, The seeds of tragedy are there and what we feel we have the right to bear and watch our children come to harm, There in the safety of our arms, We all disagree about The passions burn, heart goes out.” He dedicated the song to the lives lost in Orlando the previous Friday. Another touching moment and maybe the highlight of the night was the song that was dedicated to his friend who died in a fire. He talked about how talented this guy was in everything he did. “For a Dancer” was moving and heartfelt. He also dedicated “Take it Easy” to his close friend Glen Frey of The Eagles who passed away in January.
Browne’s voice was strong and his connection with the audience was strong the entire night. Even though this tended to be a shorter set (they didn’t perform a few numbers that were on the setlist), I still think the majority of folks came out feeling inspired and satisfied with Browne’s overall performance.
Setlist:
Rock Me on the Water
Just Say Yeah
Fountain of Sorrow
The Long Way Around
For Everyman
Doctor My Eyes
For a Dancer
The Birds of St. Marks
These Days
Somebody’s Baby
Boulevard
Redneck Friend
The Pretender
Running on Empty
Take it Easy (The Eagles cover)/Our Lady of the Well
We would like to thank Phil Pantano from Pantano & Associates for the credentials to review the show.
