Jayhawks Live: Dream Come Due

Kari and I saw all-time fave the Jayhawks on Tuesday night at the Cain's here in Tulsa. It was the fourth time I've seen them, but the first with Mark in the band. If you haven't checked them out - needless to say, DO IT NOW, folks.

The set was a beautifully-balanced mix of new and old - the new from their growing-on-me-in-a-big-way latest, Mockingbird Time, and the old mostly from Hollywood Town Hall and (our fave with Mark) Tomorrow the Green Grass. All the comparisons of Mockingbird to Green Grass, to me, are not accurate - the album (and the band now) sounds much more like ca. '92 Hollywood Town Hall.

I was so stoked that they overcame whatever internal strife they had concerning material from post-Mark albums, and did Break In The Clouds (so freaking awesome) and Angelyne. I yelled for Sixteen Down from my all-time Top 10 album, the WAY underappreciated and now out-of-print Sound of Lies, and Gary acknowledged it with a smirk. Also, when Mark suggested that people give the new album as a stocking stuffer, I yelled out "Chanukah!", and he laughed. Fanboy here.

They loved our hometown legendary venue, Cain's, and mentioned it numerous times during the concert, and were obviously feeling the Western Swing/Bob Wills thang since they subbed the rarity (and Karen-sung) Last Cigarette for Settled Down Like Rain... Also, as maybe expected, Tim sang Tampa To Tulsa.

The crowd was appreciative but ridiculously sparse. Couldn't believe my fellow Tulsans couldn't make a better showing - in such a great music town - the last time the Jayhawks were here was opening for the Black Crowes in the early '90s. Come on, people. $20 a friggin ticket!

Pics above were shot from our stage-front spot two feet from Gary's two feet.