An
"At the gig" report by Todd Bishopp
 A
cloudy day was the setting for the ride from Portsmouth to Oxford. Dave
Houghton selected today's soundtrack for our journey - Rickie Lee Jones'
"Ghostyhead" and then some Crowded House during the last few
miles. Both the band and the crew were well rested and looking forward
to the show that evening.
Soundcheck was quite
interesting. Gary, Graham, and Dave had their soundcheck first. Graham
took lead vocals on the Beatles' "Misery." Dave then led the
band through the standard "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Gary
followed with a twangy take on Dwight Yoakam's "It Won't Hurt."
The band then worked through quick versions of "Sunday Papers"
and "Awkward Age." Joe then came out on stage and the soundcheck
continued with "Stranger Than Fiction," "Take It Like A
Man," another take of "Awkward Age," "One More
Time," and "Little Bit Stupid."
Doors to the Zodiac
opened at 8 PM and the venue was filled to its capacity by 8:30 PM. The
crowd's eager anticipation of the show created the feel of electricity
in the air. At 9:20 PM wild applause greeted the Joe Jackson band as they
took the stage. The show kicked off with the audience dancing and singing
along with "One More Time." Next was a great version of "Awkward
Age," which was making only its second appearance to date on the
"Bloody Hell" tour.
The crowd was left
reeling from the one-two combination punch of "Take It Like A Man"
and "Look Sharp!" Also making their second appearances on the
tour were "Chrome" and "Thugs 'R' Us." Joe introduced
"Thugs 'R' Us" as "a tale of suburban angst."
"Is She Really
Going Out With Him?" featured the audience as a fifth member of the
band as Joe extended his microphone into the crowd by holding the mic
stand from its base while the crowd sang along. Next was a rousing version
of "On Your Radio," then the gorgeous new number "Love
At First Light" returned to the set for the first time since the
Bristol show four nights before. Joe introduced "Love At First Light"
by saying "It could be a romantic song...I guess you'll have to make
up your own mind."
At this point in the
show the band took its customary break while Joe remained on stage to
play a short solo set. As the band left the stage, Joe joked "I've
just sacked the band!" Joe began his solo set with "Real Men"
which he told the audience that he had never played solo before. An amazing
cover of the Beatles "For No One" followed. The solo set then
concluded
with a lovely rendition of "Be My Number Two."
The band returned
to the stage and launched into the "Bloody Hell" tour premiere
of "Stranger Than Fiction." For "Fairy Dust," Joe
joked that Dave had the difficult feat of playing in 5/4 time, but that
it was okay because "Suffering is good for the soul after all."
Next up was the new glam rock anthem "Little Bit Stupid" - a
great song which sounds better and better at
each show. The set closed with a strong "Sunday Papers" and
a rocking "Got The Time," which featured an amazing jam in the
middle.
Joe returned to the
stage alone to begin an encore of "Different For Girls" which
the band joined in on halfway through. The final song of the evening was
an incindiary take of "I'm The Man." After the gig, I spoke
with the band, the crew, and some fans who've been lucky enough to see
all three shows so far. Everyone is in agreement that all the shows have
been great,
but also that each show has surpassed the previous one. The tour moves
to Portsmouth for shows on Monday and Tuesday. The band and crew are quite
thankful for this as it significantly cuts down on the travel for the
next few days. Check back on Tuesday for Monday night's report.....
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