Jackson Browne is a storyteller. His lyrics have always been more captivating than his music. He has always been a big talker — especially between songs, when the singer-songwriter revels in the stories behind the songs and how they relate to our world today.
In his lengthy set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday night, Browne laid down a set that was as much about his varied musical interests as the hits he has written over the past four decades. He played “Take It Easy,” a song that sold millions of records for the Eagles. And he also happily reminded the crowd before laying into the song that he wasn’t covering the Eagles — he, in fact, wrote the song. (Eagles member Glenn Frey pitched in a verse.)
Most of the rabid Browne fans didn’t need the reminder. They know Browne as the sensitive ’70s singer-songwriter, the journeyman performer who rarely shies away from singing his biggest hits decades after they were penned.
Browne played two sets at Red Rocks, headlining without an opening act. Early in the first set came a full-bodied “Fountain of Sorrow” followed by the title track of his latest record, last year’s “Time the Conqueror.” Before taking on the latter, Browne told the crowd that it was a song about “the kaleidoscopic passing of time” — and, yes, it’s about time healing wounds, conquering pain.
“Time the Conqueror” is a solid piece of lyricism, and it’s Browne at his best. Sure “The Pretender” is a more complete composition, but “Time the Conqueror” is the kind of song being dissected in song schools.
“Off to Wonderland” is a “song about ideals, imagination and mostly about expectation,” Browne said before the song, and the easy-flowing track was likable. “Shape of the Heart” followed, and it was proof of the band’s tight grip on the music. They played a near-perfect set, and it seemed effortless.
“Too Many Angels” was another solid outing, this one full of flirty, Latin rhythms. And “The Naked Ride Home” was a driving yet sad song that featured Browne’s guitar tech, Manny Alvarez, on a soulful solo — a move that inspired some guy in the 10th row to scream, “We wanna hear more from the guitar tech!”
Browne went into a brief, if unnecessary, intermission after a twangy, lazy-eyed “Take It Easy.” He came back with the soft-rock, James Tayloresque jam “Jamaica Say You Will.” “Doctor My Eyes” got the fans on their feet, but the mid-song breakdown hasn’t aged so well. After a vibed-out “Going Out to Cuba,” he moved on to the more scenic “Just Say Yeah,” which Browne called “a new ‘These Days.’ This is a love song for my girlfriend.”
Browne knows how to cozy up to an audience. As if their familiarity with his music wasn’t enough to make them comfortable, he’s also a master of small talk. Between a poetic “The Late Show” and a soulful “The Pretender,” he sweet-eyed the audience and told them, “We played outdoors last night, too, in Utah. It was nice. But this is better.”
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
