Jon Brion, Largo at the Coronet, September 14, 2023
By my estimation, Jon Brion's last show at Largo took place in February 2020. He's dropped in now and again for friends' shows, but three and a half years has passed since the world last saw him do what he does best. Some of us have felt every passing month of that wait. There was no hesitation on my part to get to LA for this gig.I can tell you exactly when I last saw Jon Brion because none other than Mick Fleetwood, Neil Finn, and Liam Finn joined him that night. Lest you've forgotten, I don't really care who Jon welcomes to the stage -- I go to these shows to see Jon. Everyone else is a lovely bonus, but not my motivating factor. Besides, if you know me, you know that I do everything I can to attend the Christmas show.
Lately, I mostly come to Largo to see Jeff Tweedy, and music remains my biggest motivation to make the trip. But even the prep for this show felt a little different, and I probably had an extra spring to my step as we walked up Beverly. The lobby and bar were buzzing as we saw familiar faces, and the theater was packed. As usual, I had no expectations going in, though I had a couple of requests should Jon call for suggestions.
Jon's instrumentation is always notable, and I can report that he had the vibes, a dozen-plus guitars, a small Casio keyboard, and maybe a Chamberlin, along with several panels of pedals and switches at the foot of Largo's signature upright piano. That is, he didn't have drums, video screens, or the EMS Synthi.
Jon emerged without any fanfare, carrying a pint of Guinness and a notebook. He looked a tad grayer, but don't we all? His first tune was the jingle for Skyrizi, confirming that he too has been watching TV. From there, he went into a piano song that I can't identify, except it had a slight pop feel, as opposed to a jazz or an abstract track, which he's been known to do. The next song was more familiar, as I recognized the back-and-forth piano work.
I'll admit that I didn't know the next song. My notes say he used the pedals for a spacy, layered pump organ-like sound, and he brought in the Chamberlin for a slow, developing song. This could be anything, right? But Paul identified it as "God Bless the Child," and I'm not going to argue with him.
The next song started with spacy sounds, and Jon spent some time testing the piano and the off-tune keys, but I mostly knew where he was going. When you hit enough Jon shows, you get a clue or two about where he might be heading, and I figured he would go in one of two directions. Tonight, that meant "Stop the World," but hint: Sometimes you end up with "Strings That Tie to You." Of course, Jon mixes up his songs with every performance. Tonight, a pretty, pronounced rhythm jumped out to me.
Jon requested more slap from the sound booth for his next classic "Ruin My Day." He stretched out the pace on some vocals, and this was the first warm blanket of the evening.
The next song might not be a song at all, and I won't venture a guess. At one point, he played a snippet of The Outer Limits theme. My notes say he layered the instruments to create a moody, dramatic soundscape that, to my ears, suggested a journey. Maybe it's soundtrack work? Maybe it's his real-time experimentation? Probably only Jon knows!
I recognized the next song immediately, but it was still fun to hear Jon's long intro and leisurely pace before he launched into "Knock Yourself Out." He sounded so effortless, as he played with the pacing, slowing down the tempo to wrap up the tune.
Remaining at the piano, he worked the pedals and the layering for one of his signature songs: the theme to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (which, by the way, you can hear as the background music in the BMW Super Bowl commercial from a couple of years ago). The loops reinforced the emotional arcs of the song, and in other parts, the dissonance between the piano effects brought to mind the chaos of the movie.
For the last piano track in this opening segment, Jon punched out a fast, extended intro, and I thought I picked up the rhythm of the song. My guess was correct, as he went into "Meaningless," from the only solo album he has yet to release.
Jon finally made his way to the guitars, first picking up the faithful black-and-white Gretsch. After an extended tuning, he hit his own "At It Again," an unreleased track that he plays often. This probably isn't the most original thought, but tonight, I heard the XTC influence in this song.
Jon made an off-hand comment under his breath before he started the next song, but even if he hadn't, I might've eventually figured out that he and his first guest Sebastian Steinberg were doing "'Round Midnight." I confirmed with Paul and Evonne after they finished, but I'm still pretty proud of myself for picking up the clues.
Next, we got this exchange:
Jon: Name something.
Sebastian: Tom.
Jon: Or start something.
With that cue, Sebastian started riffing on his stand-up bass, and the two of them eventually crafted "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." They had fun with a couple of Jon's favorite crowd-pleasers befor David Garza joined them.
Jon took to the vibes as David started with his own "Drone," followed by the blues classic "Got My Mojo Working." We did our part, shouting out the chorus, as Jon played the vibes like a drum set, hitting the stems and all but the vibes bed.
John C. Reilly emerged from backstage to take the mic for a couple of standards that he presumably also performs in his own show as Mr. Romantic. This isn't the first time I've seen John C. Reilly in performance at Largo, but in case this is a new concept to you, I can assure you that he has a wonderful voice. Say what you want about actors who want to be singers, but keep in mind that some are trained to cross those lines. Anyway, thespian that he is, John gilded the lily, as he stepped to the edge of the stage and towered over us in the first row to belt out "Mona Lisa."
To close out the main set, Jon was left by himself, and he returned the piano. As soon as he turned out the calypso beat, I was 99.9% sure where he was going, but you never really know. Regardless, the thrill was the same when "More Than This" broke out. I'll never say no to this song. He might've played one more song, but I can't identify or confirm that tune.
Jon and Sebastian returned for the encore and asked us for requests. Ultimately, they said they couldn't understand any of us and polled us on a couple of choices for a singalong. Jon reported that he heard more support for "God Only Knows," but the votes for "Life on Mars" were more vehement. He decided to split the difference, but warned that most people don't really know the words to either. I admit that Jon usually leads the songs, so the audience as a whole fills in the parts we know and love best. Nonetheless, he let us proceed, starting with Bowie.
Largo is a magical place in many regards, but one element has popped up more than once, and it did again tonight. Not only did one person in the audience know all the words to "Life on Mars," but he also had a beautiful singing voice. Call him a ringer, but he was our guiding voice and a pleasure to hear. When you think about it, this should come as no surprise when you're in one of the entertainment capitals of the country, if not the world. I can only imagine how many musicians were in the audience, but I'm grateful for that particular songbird.
"God Only Knows" was more traditional in that almost everyone seemed to know the words or knew enough of them to chime in. I feel like almost every song at Largo is a celebration, but this is always the ultimate unifier and reminder that you're among friends. I hope Jon -- and we -- can do it again soon.
Setlist
Skyrizi song
piano
Strangest Times
God Bless the Child
Stop the World
Ruin My Day
???
Knock Yourself Out
Eternal Sunshine Theme
Meaningless
At It Again
Round Midnight *
Don't Get Around Much Anymore *
Funkytown/Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy *
Drone **
Got My Mojo Workin' **
Blue Skies ***
Mona Lisa ***
More Than This
???
Encore
Life on Mars *
God Only Knows *
* = with Sebastian Steinberg
** = with Sebastian Steinberg and David Garza
*** = with Sebastian Steinberg, David Garza, and John C. Reilly
Related shows
» man of the world
» this is how i tell it
» no one will be a stranger
