Concert Review: Roseanne Cash and The Jayhawks
On Friday, October 21, I went to see Roseanne Cash and the Jayhawks' sold out show at the Beacon Theater.
The beautiful Beacon on Broadway and 74th street seats nearly 3,000 people. It was not at maximum capacity at the start, but gradually filled up as the show progressed.
Singer/songwriter Roseanne Cash, daughter of the late, great Johnny Cash, was the opening act. Those who showed up late and missed some of her performance were cheating themselves of a talented, soulful artist. She started her set with “Dreams are Not My Home” from her 2006 album Black Cadillac.
Though she is typically considered country, her music also crosses other genres of folk, blues, and rock. Her more recent album The List is based on a list of 100 essential country songs her father gave her when she was 18. She selected and covered twelve of the songs, embracing the American roots music she was introduced to at a young age. It includes songs like “Motherless Children” and “Sea of Heartbreak.” The latter Cash recorded with “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen but performed onstage with Gary Louris of the Jayhawks.
John Leventhal, her husband and producer, who is also a songwriter and guitarist, accompanied her set. Cash was also backed by a band Brooklyn natives, who despite some sound issues, rocked out with a variety of guitars onstage, including a steel guitar. However, it was when her accompaniment was the least that you could enjoy her rich vocal quality the most. An example was her haunting rendition of murder ballad “Ode to Billy Joe.”
Once Cash finished her set there was nearly a 40-minute long unannounced “intermission” (perhaps due to earlier sound issues) before the Jayhawks came out on stage.
For Jayhawks fans, it is an exciting time. Mockingbird Time marks their first studio album in eight years. Singers and songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olsen along with Mark Perlman and Norm Rogers founded the alternative country band the Jayhawks in early 1985. In 1995, Olsen left the Jayhawks but 2011 marks his welcome reunion with the band.
If you are not familiar with the Jayhawks, their sound has a Bob Dylan quality. The at times dissonant harmonies are something of an acquired taste, but once acquired creates a devoted fan base. The fans were an enthusiastic bunch that showed their support and love by selling the house out. Even if you weren’t a devoted fan, it was easy to appreciate their incredible talent as musicians, the meaning in their songs, and see the potential of becoming a fan if you gave the songs some time to grow on you.
One of their new songs “She Walks in So Many Ways,” sung at the show, was also performed on David Letterman as seen in this video:
Besides other songs from their newest album, they also sang a few songs like “Take Me With You” and “Clouds” from earlier album Hollywood Town Hall.
After dwelling in a night of mostly melancholy music, closing with the refreshingly upbeat “Up Above My Head” allowed the crowd to end the evening on a happier, high note.