Review: Jayhawks - 3/24/03 - Guthrie Theater - Mpls, MN

Over the years - especially back in the days before they made a conscious effort to not book "heavy" rock shows - the number of world famous acts who have graced the Guthrie stage is pretty amazing: The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Roxy Music, and a zillion others. So, it's always been a huge deal for a local band to play this hallowed ground. It took over 20 years for Paul Westerberg to finally make it last summer and it took the Jayhawks almost that long to do it themselves.

And they didn't disappoint. It was a night of one beautifully performed moment after another. The finicky Guthrie sound mix fortunately seemed "on" tonight, at least from my seats. Everything was nicely balanced and crystal clear, adding to the excitement of seeing the boys in such a legendary setting.

They played just a tad under 2 hours and we got 27 songs (Gary said 28 after the show - maybe I missed scribbling one down). Most of the setlist will be familiar to those who have followed the "acoustic trio" shows over the last 15 months, with a few bombshells:

* "Five Cups of Coffee" - best version I've ever heard and that includes the performances from back in 90/91.
* "Sixteen Down" (!!!) - as soon as I recognized this I muttered "holy shit" under my breath. A total surprise from left field, especially in an "acoustic" setlist. Gary called this an "experiment" - he had tons of effects on his acoustic, including some spacey phasing effects. Very, very cool. What's next, a stripped down version of "Big Star?" Last done in late 1997 I believe.
* "All the Right Reasons" (solo version). This was the highlight of the night for me. Totally perfect, very emotional version - people dabbing their eyes everywhere. I knew something special was up when Marc and Tim didn't come out after the usual "Waiting For the Sun" first encore (which was superb, too, BTW). Gary just stood there with his guitar and went right into it. He absolutely nailed it, eclipsing every other previous performance of this beautiful song. I've always liked the trio versions of this song over the last year, but this solo version went to a whole different level. I still can't get over just how good this was. Gary said this was the first solo outing for the song formerly known as "Rotterdam."

Other highlights:
* Tim's voice was as good as I've ever heard. Really filled up the theater. Gary has got to be the luckiest guy in the world to find somebody who not only replaced Mark Olson's harmonies but does, IMO, an even better job at it.
* Marc played the stand-up bass to nice effect on several songs, a luxury they can't afford to take on the road. His fine mandolin playing throughout the night also added a nice dimension to many of the songs.
* "It's Up to You" - beautiful new arrangement for this rarely played song
* "Say You'll Be Mine" - this Mark Olson collaboration from last year sounded especially good last night. Simple song yet very haunting.
* 2 Golden Smog songs, complete with Murphy and Boquist for the "all star" finale. 2 of my fave GS songs ever, ranking right up with the best of the Jayhawks material.
* All of the songs from the new album sounded ace. Having lived with the new material for some time, I can honestly say that I prefer the live versions - especially these acoustic versions - of nearly every new song to the studio versions. The album versions are all very nice in their own way, but are, in some cases, a bit too polished for my taste. Sometimes I think this "live bias" is inevitable when you hear new songs done live for so long before you get to hear the studio versions. Still, I think the album will do very well. The lead single is already getting good airplay nationally.

SETLIST
1. Smile
2. It's Up to You
3. Settled Down Like Rain
4. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
5. One Man's Problem (new song)
6. Nothing Left to Borrow
7. Tampa to Tulsa (new song)
8. Tailspin (new song)
9. Crowded in the Wings
10. Five Cups of Coffee
11. The Man Who Loved Life
12. Clouds
13. Two Hearts
14. Sixteen Down
15. Say You'll Be Mine
16. Angelyne (new song)
17. Bottomless Cup
18. Break in the Clouds
19. Jennifer Save Me
20. Blue
21. Save It For a Rainy Day (new song)
ENCORE
22. Waiting For the Sun (Gary solo)
23. All the Right Reasons (Gary solo) (new song)
24. Trouble
25. I'd Run Away
26. Big White Cloud (John Cale cover)
27. Until You Came Along (with Jim Boquist and Dan Murphy)

A truly memorable, special night. Definitely the best "acoustic trio" show I've seen or heard, easily surpassing the Women's Club show last year here in Mpls, and one of the top 5 Jayhawks shows I've ever been to, and that dates all the way back to the Uptown Bar and the Entry in 1985. What a perfect way to start off their tour.