Zeno's Bar & Grill

I can't exactly recall why we decided to buy tickets to the Jackson Browne show last night. But we jumped at the chance when we were offered the opportunity to have our same, very excellent seats in the tiny, 600 person venue where we see a local series called Sings Like Hell. I really can't explain it, because in the back of my mind, I figured it would be some aging rocker singing Running on Empty and Lawyers in Love. We amused ourselves doing impressions of what this might look like, over drinks and appetizers before the show.

When we came into the theater after the opening act and intermission, the ten guitars lined up on stage immediately made me think our suspicions were correct. For some reason that kind of thing always makes me think of a self-indulgent overgrown teenager who can't believe he has the ability to own that many instruments. His website features a similar image of open guitar cases backstage. Look, Ma, I've got ten guitars!

Whatever. He's got the pipes and lyrics and music to back it up. Seriously, the all-acoustic performance accompanied by David Lindley (who can play fiddle, guitar and middle eastern lute-looking instruments with equal ease) was fantastic.

No wonder tickets were going on Craigslist for four times what we paid. At least one couple flew out from New York for the show, and others came from various parts of California. My only complaint was that his set started so late (9:15!!) that we had to walk out before the show was over. There was a mini exodus at 10 o'clock--probably consisting of other parents who had told the sitter they'd be back by then. We held out for another half hour, but then, yes, we walked out on Jackson Browne.

Now, I wish we'd picked up a CD on the way out. I was hoping to get some of the music we heard on iTunes, but sadly there's very little of the acoustic stuff. Even the song I'm Alive, which was incredible as he did it last night, has a drum track that cheesifies it (I don't care if that's a word or not, you know what I mean.)

--Melanie