Jackson Browne was midway through the first of two sets during one those famously chilly evenings at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga when he looked back at Mauricio Lewak and realized that the drummer was wearing a short-sleeve shirt.
“Are you sure you don’t want a puffy jacket?” Browne asked with concern on Wednesday, which was his second of two consecutive nights at the venue.
The 76-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who was inducted by fellow legend Bruce Springsteen in 2004, would later check in with an audience member as the temperature continued to drop: “Can I get you a hand warmer or something?”
And that’s one of many reasons why fans love Jackson Browne. He always comes across as so genuine and caring on the concert stage, whether he’s addressing some big social issue in one of his finely crafted songs or just making sure that a person has what they need to stay warm on a chilly night.
As far as the other reasons why fans love him? Well, those were all on display as well during Browne’s entirely winning concert on Wednesday. He showcased his still-pristine vocals and graciously led his seven-piece backing band — which included backing vocalists Alethea Mills and Chavonne Stewart — through two brilliant sets of folksy soft-rock and glistening retro pop.
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Taking the stage right around 7:30 p.m., Browne got underway as some folks were still finding their seats and kept right on playing for roughly three hours (minus a relatively brief set break).
The singer-songwriter kicked things off with one of his absolute best — “Before the Deluge” — the closing track from his third album, 1974’s still-radiant “Late for the Sky,” before zooming forward more than 20 years for the title track to 1996’s “Looking East.”
This wasn’t a greatest hits set — that would come, more or less, in the nightcap — but rather a chance for Browne to play what sure came across as the music that is currently resonating in his heart. Much of it had been written decades earlier — and even by other artists — and yet it all felt so applicable to these times.
“This is a fight song,” Browne said as in an intro to “Until the Justice. “And we have a lot to fight for.”
From that striking number — hailing from the artist’s most recent studio offering, the Grammy-nominated “Downhill from Everywhere” from 2021 — Browne dialed up “Walls and Doors.”
“It’s a good song for us to hear right now,” he said of the number written by longtime friend and Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela. “It’s not really about Cuba. It’s about everybody.”
The Varela composition led very naturally into Little Steven Van Zandt’s powerful “I Am a Patriot,” a powerful mix of protest folk, gospel and Island grooves that its author reportedly once referred to as “California reggae.” (Not exactly sure what that means but, well, it’s probably way better than New Jersey reggae.)
Hanging up the guitar for a moment, Browne sat down at the piano for a stunning version of “Sky Blue and Black” — one of two selections from the artist’s best latter-era effort, 1993’s “I’m Alive” — and then bounded back over to the guitar for an unplanned take on Warren Zevon’s “Life’ll Kill Ya.”
After a short break, Browne and company — which also included pedal steel great Greg Leisz — returned to the stage with the “Looking East” standout “The Barricades of Heaven. He then rocked into greatest hits territory with “Boulevard” and “Somebody’s Baby” — the latter of which, the highest-charting single of Browne’s career, hailed from 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” movie soundtrack.
The last portion of the night was basically non-stop hits, as Browne charged through a truly rocking “Doctor My Eyes,” then waltzed with “The Pretender” before fueling back up again for his ultimate anthem — “Running on Empty.”
He’d also stake his claim to “Take It Easy,” the 1972 Eagles blockbuster that Browne wrote with Glenn Frey, which eventually melded into “Our Lady of the Well.”
Browne returned for an encore of the famed “The Load-Out”/”Stay” mash-up, but not before thanking his loyal fans for sticking around through this chilly evening.
“You’re amazing,” he said.
Right back at you, Jackson.
Jackson Browne setlist:
1. “Before the Deluge”
2. “Looking East”
3. “Long Way Around”
4. “Until Justice Is Real”
5. “Rock Me on the Water”
6. “Walls and Doors”
7. “I Am a Patriot”
8. “Giving That Heaven Away”
9. “Sky Blue and Black”
10. “Life’ll Kill Ya”
11. “For a Dancer”
Set 2:
12. “The Barricades of Heaven”
13. “Boulevard”
14. “Off of Wonderland”
15. “Somebody’s Baby”
16. “Too Many Angels”
17. “Your Bright Baby Blues”
18. “These Days”
19. “Doctor My Eyes”
20. “The Pretender”
21. “Running on Empty”
22. “Take It Easy”
23. “Our Lady of the Well”
Encore:
24. “The Load-Out”
25. “Stay”