Joe Jackson at the Majestic Theater, June 14, 2022

Happy summer to all of you. My recent concert experience inspired me to share some pics and videos. I had tickets to see Joe Jackson on June 14th, as you all know. I was eagerly anticipating this event despite constant warnings of virulent Covid-19 strains, monkeypox, and gun violence across the country. To survive in this world of uncertainty, one must be vigilant at all times, but one must not allow fear to dominate them. The last two and a half years have been tough, and I've decided to just live my life and make the best of what I can. Quick Adam Ant update, AXS emailed me stating my Adam Ant show had been canceled. Other U.S. shows are currently being canceled, so this is not surprising. Tickets for old events are no longer available on the sites of ticket sellers. Although the postponed events were rescheduled, the dates couldn't be changed multiple times.

For the 14th of June, I took a private car to downtown to see "The Man." What a great feeling dressing up and "Steppin' Out." I hadn't done anything like that in three years.  Upon arrival, some interesting world music was playing.  That's a genre I hadn't heard in ages.  I'm sure JJ will tell us via his blog what artists he played while his audience waited.  Next, before the band came out, there was this:

On this tour, Joe covered that song as well as named it "Sing, You Sinners!" Check out his version below.. :)

Three songs from my show:

I see myself in this video. I am the individual beside the man on the left. Because of the darkness, it's hard to see me! "It's Different for Girls" is my absolute favorite song. When it's performed with the full band, it's so much better. It's not that the solo version is bad, but I prefer the full band version. With age, Joe and the band just get better. Three years ago, when I saw Joe, he had just as much energy as now. Truly an amazing artist. If you missed the U.S. tour, don't despair! YouTube has several full live recordings. However, if you ever get the chance, please catch this band live. They work tirelessly to please their fans during these shows!

Here are the songs I had been wanting to hear: "A Place in the Rain, "The Blue Time," "Nineteen Forever"; and either of these cover songs: "Any Major Dude" by Steely Dan or "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell.

Here are the songs I got: "One More Time," "Big Black Cloud," "Sunday Papers," "Dave," "Look Sharp!" "Fabulously Absolute," "Solo (So Low)," "Real Men," "The Mayor of Simpleton (XTC cover)," "Love at First Light," "Kings of the City," "Blaze of Glory," "Fool," "Sing, You Sinners (The Paramount Brothers cover)," "Is She Really Going out with Him?" "It's Different for Girls," "I'm the Man," "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)"

Had another Volume 4 song been played besides "Love at First Light," and "The Blue Time" instead of "Kings of the City," I would have been happier. Although I love those songs, I would have liked to hear something else since I have heard them live more than once. Also, I had my heart set on hearing "A Place in the Rain," and I wished I could have heard "Nineteen Forever." But sometimes you can't always get what you want. In contrast, Joe's cover of "The Mayor of Simpleton" by XTC more than compensated for those songs. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined I would hear any XTC song live before. See below. Enjoy!

Among the highlights from my show were "Blaze of Glory," "Look Sharp!" "Dave," and "It's Different for Girls (with the full band)" There is no merch on this tour, just wonderful songs. The band's European tour starts July 1st. For more information on dates, visit: http://joejackson.com/tour​: http://joejackson.com/tour

I also saw some pretty cool art in downtown Dallas that I would like to post about, but that will be reserved for another entry. Have a good July 4th friends!