Happy 2026! This blog has a reason to exist again, and pardon the delay, but I'm back on the clock (when possible). Without further ado, Jon Brion!
Jon Brion, Largo at the Coronet, November 7, 2025
The date showed up out of nowhere, and I didn't need to be asked twice. If I recall correctly, Jon's last show took place in June 2024, but I was at Wilco's every-other-year Solid Sound Festival. You can't attend them all, but I had no idea Jon wouldn't be back for 16 months. Reminder: Go see your favorite artists whenever you can. There's no guarantee you'll get another opportunity.
Flanny of course did the introduction, showing off his Dodgers t-shirt. (No comment.) Jon looked like a professor when he made his entrance, with a soft bucket hat on his head, a loose scarf around his neck, and a leather bookbag slung over his shoulder. School was in session.
You couldn't miss the Steinway baby grand parked center stage or the numerous mics strategically positioned on and around the instrument. Jon also had a small array of guitars at his disposal, but none of the other gear that he's known for -- not even the drums. Anyone who comes to Jon's show knows to expect the unexpected, and without touching a key, he instantly checked that box.
Fom the first note, we knew we were listening to something different. It's hard enough for me to describe Jon's music, especially the instrumentals, but you'll have to bear with me. All I can say is that Jon played the piano and checked a MacBook to his left. As an audience member, I heard both the piano, but also a synth undertone and a slight dissonance behind the main notes. In his usual fashion, Jon opened with a roughly 20-minute instrumental exercise that I won't attempt to guess.
He did end the tune with some background on the bionic piano. He said playing it was like having 88 EBows on piano and credited
Andrew McPherson for his innovation, which he jokingly referred to as "a bunch of magnets." He's not lying, but you can investigate for yourself on his website.
Overall, I took very few notes about the actual sound because I lack the vocabulary or the musical knowledge to do it justice. In many ways, the songs were deeper than what you'd expect from, in essence, a singular piano. At times, it sounded like a string orchestra but maybe fed through a filter.
Jon immediately asked for a request, but warned that "it's gonna come back moody." He opted for his classic "Same Thing," which is always a great start to the pop portion of the night. He continued with his own soundtrack songs. I identified one as "Strangest Times" from
I Heart Huckabees, but I have to admit that I couldn't place the other one. It might've been from
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but no guarantees.
Jon next treated us to Robyn Hitchcock rock block with the sublime "Queen Elvis," followed by "The Man Who Invented Himself." For the latter, he drew from a large binder of lyrics, and to the best of my knowledge, he used no effects. He also told a story about going to a record store around the time of the album's release and the record store employee introducing him to the record -- a rite of passage that any vinyl fan can relate to.
He returned to one of his original songs (not one of my favorites, I have to admit), then what I think was "'Round Midnight," which I mostly recognize because it goes on for a long time. I'm half-kidding; I've heard Jon perform this song enough times that I can pick out an arc or two.
Jon played an extended intro as he welcomed Grant Lee Phillips to the stage. Grant, in case you've forgotten, was one of the main people who helped
establish Largo on Fairfax, and he and Jon are always a
must-watch combination. I've
written about them at length!
Grant was in town for a show at McCabe's the next night, and the crowd at Largo greeted him warmly. To be honest, I can't remember why Jon stretched out the piano prelude. Maybe Grant was looking for a guitar? I recall that Grant briefly grabbed an acoustic, but he quickly abandoned it. In fact, it took him a little while to realize that Jon was playing one of Grant's own tunes -- the sublime "Fuzzy" from the first Grant Lee Buffalo record -- and even asked Jon to confirm the song choice. (Meanwhile, I had been squirming in my seat for several minutes as I waited for them to kick off the performance of a track I've loved for a long time.)
Make no mistake -- Jon nailed this song, but he also gave Grant enough room to improvise with pace, crescendos, and other flourishes. Grant Lee Buffalo was one of my favorites in the '90s, and the song is still a gem.
Jon next started on another favorite, Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes," and yelled at Grant to come back to the stage to handle the vocals. We'll always take more Grant!
After Grant left the stage, Jon hit a couple of soundtrack songs, but I can't tell you which. I suspect one of them was the
Lady Bird theme, which has become one of Jon's recent favorites.
Jon took out the big book of lyrics again and paired his choice of a song with a Sondheim-like arrangement. The tune: "Anarchy in the UK," by the Sex Pistols. If you think about it for a minute or two, I bet you can get the gist in your brain. From there, he went into a straightforward rendition of a Cole Porter title to continue the theme.
He followed up with "Trouble" on the piano, then headed over to the guitars for the first time that night. Alas, the diversion was short-lived, as none of them were up to snuff. He returned to the piano and asked for requests, resulting in "I Believe She's Lying."
Jon closed out the encore with another two of his originals. And we still had one more night to look forward to.
Setlist
piano
Same Thing
Strangest Times
soundtrack song?
Queen Elvis
The Man Who Invented Himself
That's What People Do
Round Midnight
with Grant-Lee Phillips
Fuzzy
Ashes to Ashes
Eternal Sunshine theme
soundtrack song?
Anarchy in the UK
I Concentrate on You
Trouble
I Believe She's Lying
Encore
Ruin My Day
The Way It Went
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