Pazartesi 10 Mar 2008, 7:57

A concert Of Joe Jackson is always like a first introduction. Although you know eachother for years, at the start there's always an uncomfortable first five minutes, in his case a first uncomfortable song.

This time the first song of the set turned out to be Stepping Out. The sound wasn't okay, the vocals were sung as if Joe was taking a shower, but the audience loved it already. After this Joe relaxed, started to talk, made funny faces, laughted and was interacting with the people.

With a new album out it was obvious that Joe, accompanied again by Graham Maby and Dave Houghton, would play a lot of the album. The audience wasn't disappointed with a setlist that included eight of the ten tracks. Although there were people in the audience unaware that he had released a new album recently.

For me it was a bit disappointed that opener "Invisible Man" wasn't played, although I could understand it, since the track was on the setlist in the 2006 and 2007 tour.

Solo (so low), one of the high lights of the new album "Rain", was a break in the setlist, when Maby and Houghton left the stage and Joe played the song on his own on the piano.

Joe introduced the track as being a depressed one, and he gave the audience the advise not to go home, put the record on and cut their wrists. The track was done with passion, but in the audience some people decided to start hissing, which annoyed others.

Joe Jackson as a musician is hardly categorized. He is able to turn one's hand to anything, a thing he showed again during this concert. Latin (Stranger Than Fiction) was combined effortlessly with classic (Solo (so low)) or uptempo rock (One More Time).

One of the reference points of each concert is a cover from one another. Introduced as being a very "cool song", the hardly recognizable - and in a low fibe played song turned out to be Knowing Me, Knowing You of Abba. When recognized, the crowd sung with the band.

The regular set ended with A Place In The Rain the last track of Rain, which was a great outtro.

After several minutes the band returned for some audience anticipation time. Introducing himself to the first raws of audience, since they were able to see his piano only for the whole evening they set off the encores with You Can't Get What You Want (till you know what you want).

Is She Really Going Out With Him was given an unfamiliar twist, so at the start people were unable to sing along. The humming and singing of the wellknown acappella version, made Joe laugh and he turned faces with Graham Maby.

A Slow Song turned out to be the really last song, during which Dave Houghton and Graham Maby, one after the other, left the stage under thunderous applause. Joe ended the song on his own accompanied by the public.

Drunk from the fibe and the thunderous applause he left the stage.

Setlist Sat 8 Mar – Joe Jackson:

Stepping Out
Too Tough
Citizen Sane
Breaking Us In Two
Rush Across The Road
Stranger Than Fiction
Dirty Martini
Take It Like A Man
Solo (so low)
The Uptown Train
Knowing Me, Knowing You
King Pleasure Time
It's Different For Girls
Obvious Song
One More Time
A Place In The Rain

You Can't Get What You Want (till you know what you want)
Is She Really Going Out With Him
A Slow Song