Joe Jackson – Sing, You Sinners!
Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 17:15 I have just been reminded that I have tickets to see Joe Jackson, friend of Forest, at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on July 30.
I didn't actually need reminding - it's been in my diary for months - but better safe than sorry because I did once miss having dinner with Joanna Lumley after I forgot about our date but that's another story.
Joe was due to play around 20 dates in Europe, including the UK, in March and April, followed by a US tour. Thanks to Covid however the European leg was postponed until after his US tour.
The rescheduled UK dates, part of his 'Sing, You Sinners!' tour, are as follows:
Barbican, York - 29th July 2022
Symphony Hall, Birmingham - 30th July 2022
Albert Hall, Manchester - 2nd August 2022
St David's Hall, Cardiff - 3rd August 2022
Guildhall, Portsmouth - 5th August 2022
London Palladium, London - 7th August 2022
The last time I saw Joe on stage was in July 2019 when he and his band gave a virtuoso performance (see Wednesday night at the London Palladium) so if you want to see him this time round book your tickets now.
Here's a recent review:
Joe Jackson at the Shubert Theatre — A Restlessly Creative Artist at the Peak of His Powers (May 22, 2022)
Talking of Joe, I've always loved the photo below. It's from November 2014 when we celebrated Forest's 35th birthday with a drinks party for 200+ people at Boisdale of Belgravia, where we also hosted last week's Summer Lunch & Awards.
Joe is also pictured at the same event with Boisdale MD Ranald Macdonald.
In 2019, continuing the association with Boisdale, Joe was presented with a Boisdale Music Award. The citation read:
Lifetime Achievement Award — Joe Jackson
Joe scored a hit with his first release, 'Is She Really Going Out with Him?' in 1979. This was followed by a number of new wave singles before he moved to more jazz-inflected pop music and had a Top 10 hit in 1982 with 'Steppin’ Out'. He is associated with the 1980s Second British Invasion of the US. He has also composed classical music and has recorded 19 studio albums and received five Grammy Award nominations.
As it happens two of my favourite Joe Jackson albums are relatively recent – Rain (2008) and Fool (2019).
He's also covered, live, one my favourite XTC songs, 'Mayor of Simpleton', giving it a very different but equally enjoyable arrangement (if that's the correct word).
Joe's memoir, A Cure For Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage (1999), is also a favourite book of mine.
It takes the reader up to but no further than his first hit. It's hugely enjoyable and still available on Amazon.
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