Jackson Browne at the Ryman

I feel completely spoiled having gone to the Ryman Auditorium two weekends in a row for two amazing concerts. Last night we saw Jackson Browne on his Solo Acoustic tour. His performance was truly exceptional. I mean what else would you expect from one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time?

There were no gimmicks, dancers, or headphone mics to be had at this show. There was, however, a legendary songwriter without a set list, about fifteen acoustic guitars, and a piano. His collection of vintage acoustics was impressive. At one point, he made a joke about giving the impression he was competing with George Gruhn who owns the famous Gruhn Guitars shop down the block from the Ryman.

Browne basically took requests the whole night, which made for some interesting renditions of a few songs. Hey, with a catalog as deep and diverse as his, he is bound to forget a few chord changes right? Letting the crowd choose the set was a great idea except there were a few people who really wanted to hear “Free Bird,” (Lynyrd Skynyrd) “Franklin’s Tower,” (Grateful Dead) and “You Light Up My Life” (too many to mention).

Now the “Free Bird” folks can be forgiven. In fact, hearing a request for “Free Bird” at a concert is to be expected, but the other two requests were just plain ridiculous! If it had been Ryan Adams instead of Jackson Browne on stage, these people may have (should have?) been thrown out.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Jackson Browne on any of his solo acoustic tours recently, he has released two live albums full of songs from previous solo acoustic tours. I highly recommend these for anyone who would like to hear stripped down versions of both old and newer Jackson Browne songs. Check out his store.