When most of us last saw Jackson Browne, he was filling in for the late Glenn Frey, fronting the Eagles during a performance of “Take It Easy” at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 15.
Given the enormity of the moment – especially considering Frey’s recent death, and the fact this was probably going to be the last time the rest of the Eagles played as a group – no one else could have gotten away with making it look so, well, easy. LINK
But, that’s what Jackson Browne does – he makes it look easy.
And he’ll do it again Friday night at the Grand Sierra Resort’s Grand Theatre in Reno, his latest stop on his 2016 Solo Acoustic World Tour.
Browne has been making it look easy ever since Frey, his neighbor at the time, heard him working on “Take It Easy” 45 years ago and offered to finish it up. The result was an impossibly catchy song that pretty much guaranteed the folk-rock and California sound of Browne and the Eagles was going to be around for a long, long time.
Browne has more than held up his end of the bargain, and he didn’t need an all-star lineup of fellow singer/songwriters to do it. From “The Pretender” to “Running on Empty” and beyond, Browne has stayed true to his vision with thoughtful, introspective and oft-humorous lyrics, authoring so many classic album cuts that he usually doesn’t bother playing many of his pop hits – such as “Lawyers in Love” and “Somebody’s Baby” – in the same show.
And this time, he’s not even bothering with bringing a band. It’ll be Browne, a piano, and right around 20 guitars lined up in a row.
One man, one instrument at a time, and 45 years worth of songs.
It’s just that easy.
