Joe Jackson Fast Forward concert review

While it is still fresh in my mind, here is a review of the Joe Jackson Fast Forward concert I attended. Some of you have yet to see this show, so you may want to skip this post for now. Joe changes the set list frequently, but there are some things he might do the same at your shows and I don't want to spoil that for anyone. But if you are like me, the curious type, read on. :)

Before I get to the review, I must say Fast Forward is an incredible album, and is one of Joe's finest works in 20 years. Hearing the new material live is reminiscent of how great Big World sounds each time I play it; for those who do not know, Big World was recorded live, but with no applause or anything of that sort on it. The audience was aware of the fact that the new album, at the time, was to be a live recording, and that if any noise was made, they would be asked to leave. The point in bringing up Big World is that Fast Forward, too, sounds great live. There may have been some static on some of the songs, but I thought "Poor Thing" sounded so crisp that it could have passed for a studio "live recording." I encourage those reading this to go see him live, or to check out his new record. He couldn't have picked a better group of musicians to tour with.

All this has got me thinking about the music industry... I've always admired Joe Jackson's intelligent mind and creativity, and appreciate his contributions to the music world. How can an artist of his caliber be so underrated? Is it from a lack of airplay and/or televised promotion? The first Joe Jackson song I ever heard on the radio--and the one most people are familiar with--is "Steppin' Out." During my teen years, I had heard his collaborative work with William Shatner and Ben Folds on a cover of Pulp's "Common People." I also remember liking his song "I'm the Man," but I didn't know his full catalog of music back then; I am part of a younger generation of music listeners, and Joe Jackson wasn't popular with my crowd. It wasn't until my early twenties that I fully immersed myself in his music and got to know his other songs. While doing so, I remembered that I actually heard "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" in the past and had just forgotten about it. So its possible that others out there know his other songs besides "Steppin' Out" and just don't realize it.

When I heard "Different for Girls" for the first time I knew the voice but couldn't place the name. After learning it was him, I ran out and bought Night and Day on vinyl. I wanted to start right where it all began when I was a kid with "Steppin' Out" playing on the radio. I loved the New York vibe of Night and Day so much that I went on to acquire all his albums, starting with his previous releases: Look Sharp! I'm the Man, Beat Crazy, and Jumpin' Jive. My favorites to date are: Big World, Body and Soul, Laughter and Lust, Rain, and now the new album, Fast Forward. Before the show, I hoped he'd play just one song from either Blaze of Glory, Laughter and Lust or Rain but that never happened. I also hoped to hear "If It Wasn't For You" from the new album, but that was also missing. With so many albums, however, you cannot hear all your favorites in one night! I was delighted though to hear a song from Volume 4. The other songs the band performed more than made up for what wasn't played.

We'll start the review...

The show begins with Joe walking out on stage alone. The spotlight beamed down on him. He sat down, said "Good evening," and soon, the room resounded with the piano notes to "Different for Girls." This being my favorite song made hearing it even more special. There is such a sweet innocence about it, and when performed live you connect with it on a deeper level. It segued into "Hometown," which I thought was perfect considering how well the melodies sounded.
Next came "Be My Number Two"; a song from Body and Soul. It was after this song that he started to talk. He said he was "his own opening act," which incited a huge round of applause and cheers from the audience. He also said he could not remember the last time it had been since he'd been to the Majestic Theater because it had been years. He went on to say he'd started out playing in bars and pubs since he was 16, which I already knew but it was nice hearing him go on about it. He said these "dives" threw bottles at him and that it was great playing in nice theaters like the Majestic Theater that didn't "throw *hit at me *laughs*" He was in an overall good mood and laughed and told stories all evening.

Here are the rest of the songs he played. I will try my best to describe how animated he was during each song as well.

"Girl (Beatles cover"-- He told us this next cover was by John Lennon to which he credited John Lennon and Paul McCartney. I ended up liking this one an awful lot. He starts off singing, "Is there anybody going to listen to my story all about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry. Still you don't regret a single day. Girllllllll *sigh* Girlllll *sigh* Girlllll *sigh*" - His deliberate sighs after each drawn out "Girlllll" makes this a clever cover.

"Fast Forward"-- He didn't miss a single beat here. The title track sounds great live and does the new album justice!

"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"-- I think this is where his solo "opening act" ends and longtime bassist, Graham Maby, joins him. This is a fun one to hear live. Joe starts off singing, "Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street. From my window I'm staring while my coffee goes cold. Look over there." and before he can say "Where?" the audience shouts "Where?!" and he laughs before continuing on. That always happens when he performs this song live. :)

"Real Men"-- I think this is where guitarist Teddy Kumpel and drummer Doug Yowell walk on stage. Joe changes the musical arrangement of songs he plays on tours, so you never know what you're getting. I like how his version of "Real Men" on this tour had a dark, industrial feel. It really worked here!

"You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)"-- This jazz groove sounds just as it's supposed to live... Very pleasing to the ear.

"A Little Smile"-- Another song from the new album that sounds terrific live. Joe's piano playing stands out here. It was also the first track off Fast Forward that everyone heard worldwide. I like this one a lot.

"Kings of the City"-- This song has a different feel to it but it somehow manages to blend in with the rest of Fast Forward. The stage lighting dimmed on this performance. It might have changed to a blue as well, but its hard to remember the lighting colors per song...

"Poor Thing"-- I had heard "If It Wasn't For You" performed via live radio broadcast a few weeks ago and loved it just as much as the album version. Although it wasn't played, "Poor Thing" was just as good live. This is the song that I mentioned earlier in reference to how Big World was recorded. I like Joe's piano playing on this one, and how the band built it up before the last chorus. This and "If It Wasn't For You" are very enjoyable live.

"Love at First Light"-- A pleasant surprise-- a song from Volume 4! How cool. This was nice to hear.

"Another World"-- Just like the old days, Joe put his hand over his eyes and peered into the crowd while he sang this verse from "Another World", "There was no light. I was going to all the wrong places. Like day from night. Suddenly I saw a thousand faces." He also pointed to Graham Maby during his bass line, which stood out on this song.

"Scary Monsters (and super creeps) (David Bowie cover)"-- I love David Bowie to begin with, so hearing this live was a plus for me!! Joe puts his own spin on this rockin' version of "Scary Monsters (super creeps)." I can't tell you how good this sounded blasting from those speakers. I am so happy they did this one...

"Sunday Papers"-- I got a real kick out of this one. At mid-point Joe stands up, and pulls out the melodihorn keyboard and the crowd went wild! The instrument is a keyboard with an attached tube that you blow through while playing. Sounds like an accordion. This can only be experienced live. :)

"Keep On Dreaming"-- I was wondering if they would bring in a saxophone for this one, but Teddy Kumpel created a unique sound for this song which compensated for there being no sax. It sounded fantastic!

"Ode to Joy"-- The way the band came together and sang "JOY!" in unison was too beautiful for words. Toward the end of the song, the band froze like statues before bursting into song again with another exultant "JOY!" which was felt by everyone.

"Steppin' Out"-- A slowed down version of the classic, fast pulsating "Steppin' Out" provided a welcoming calm before the encore. This song took everyone back in time to the 1982 New Yorkesque release. Doug Yowell shined on this live version.

Encore-- *The band waves and walks off stage. Everyone stands and claps for about 2 minutes. The band returns.*

"See No Evil"-- They came out rocking and rolling on "See No Evil," which is a cover by the band Television. This cover is on the actual album Fast Forward, btw.

"One More Time"-- This song and "On Your Radio" always sound great live. I was happy to hear this.

"A Slow Song"-- What a wonderful way to end the night... One by one, Graham Maby leaves the stage, then Teddy Kumpel, and Doug Yowell. At the end, its Joe by himself closing out the show. Nice how he opened it then closed it on his own. I like how I left the theater that night with the notes to "A Slow Song" stuck in my head.

Joe looked pretty beat when he walked to the foot of the stage. I imagine he went to the bus after he walked off.

After the show was over, I went to the after show where I hung out with the band for 45 minutes. A good time was had by all, and the band couldn't have been any nicer. Doug Yowell was very hospitable and took care of us. He went above and beyond for us all at the after show, and presented me with an awesome drum head signed by the band! He did a great job with everything that night.

I also met a friend backstage from a Joe Jackson Facebook group. I knew it was possible I would bump into someone at the show, but I didn't expect to backstage! It was a lot of fun, and we've been talking about the show quite a bit on FB after we got back online.

Thank you all for reading through this... I hope you enjoyed the review. If nothing else, writing this will help me to remember any key points I might forget later on.