With a half-full auditorium, making up for in enthusiasm what it lacked in numbers, this was the 43rd date on Jackson's current tour. It was also, apparently, the smallest turn-out thus far - a fact Joe felt was to be celebrated with a show no less energetic than its predecessors. I'd say he was true to his word, for this was two hours of passionate, intelligent and refreshingly irony-free power-pop music from one of the masters.
Joe may not be a chart regular these days but he exists happily in his own world, making both pop and neo-classical albums and periodically touring with a typically unusual and always dynamic band. This tour is no exception - drums, percussion, five string bass, keyboards, cello and violin concocting a heady and powerful sound. Promoting the current Night And Day II - reprising the 1982 classic Night And Day, in vignetting the daily lives of various archetypal New York characters - songs from both albums were played, including an effective medley of new song Stay with the original N&D hit Stepping Out.
Multi-layered richness rather than single-melody immediacy - with a brisk Latin-esque pulse pervading - is the instant verdict but these are deftly composed and arranged songs that will reward emersion in the record.
For the casual punter, all the old hits were interspersed to lighten the load. The highlight was the relatively obscure 1994 album track The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy - equal parts quirkiness and profundity in its conception, with stirring chord changes and a memorably simple melody.
