By Kerry DooleInfluential American roots rockers the Jayhawks made their much-anticipated return to Toronto on the same day that Sony/Legacy gave the deluxe reissue treatment to the two albums generally considered their finest, 1992's Hollywood Town Hall and 1995's Tomorrow the Green Grass. The reunited and rejuvenated Jayhawks now feature the mid-'90s lineup -- often viewed as their best -- and this show was as close to an unequivocal triumph as it gets.
Tracks from those two records formed most of the generous set, but this was no empty exercise in nostalgia. Three songs in, the band were firing on all cylinders on Tomorrow's "Real Light," and they never let up. Radio hits like "Blue" and "Waiting for the Sun" drew loud cheers from the capacity crowd (which included members of the Sadies, Blue Rodeo and Cuff the Duke), while the show confirmed the consistent strength of the Jayhawks' songwriting.
A few songs from a new album due in the spring showed real promise, though they indicated more of a rock direction than the earlier material. The band even went back to their self-titled 1986 debut for "Let the Critics Wonder," while former B-sides added to the set's variety.
The core of the Jayhawks' sound remains the interplay between Gary Louris and Mark Olson, the band's two singer-songwriters/guitarists. Through Louris's ever-fluent work on electric guitar, he added a rock edge to Olson's rootsier leanings, and the vocal harmonies that were their signature were back in full Everlys-like glory on tunes like "Red's Song" and "Nothing Left to Borrow." Adding to the vocal variety, keyboardist Karen Grotberg enlivened the bracing "Bad Time" (a Grand Funk cover) with her harmonies, while drummer Tim O'Reagan sang lead on one of the encore tunes.
The Jayhawks' style has certainly aged well, and the clichéd yet accurate observation that "they sound better than ever" was heard exchanged between more than a few contented concertgoers.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-01-19 14:45:25Wow!
Sounds like I was at a different show.
There were some serious tuning issues.
I think there was either no sound check or an incompetent engineer on the sound board. (I've never seen an engineer wearing earplugs!)
Hopefully they'll rectify this when they come again?
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-01-20 07:42:37I agree with Nameless...the whole thing seemed off for the first third of the show, but then got really cooking by the end. Loved the final encore choice and for the most part, was a fantastic reunion with some of my favorite music. Viva the Jayhawks and let them fly again.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-01-20 11:22:10This nameless poseur agrees with the others.
I overheard Gary Louris talking after the show, saying that they'd only had 3 practices. It definitely showed. Sounded as if the drummer hadn't been playing regularly in years; he slowed down the slower songs, while speeding up the fast ones. I got the sense Gary and Mark couldn't really settle in and get comfortable, and that came out in the delivery.
Hopefully by the end of the tour they will be back in playing shape...Toronto was the "full dress rehearsal."
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-01-20 21:50:50First time I have been able too see these guys and have been listening to them from the beginning and yes I was a little put off by the sound and was surprised somebody didn't catch it. Still I'd go again, would have liked to have heard Smile though .Encore set seemed to be the best sound.
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