Joe Jackson
Alone on stage, Joe Jackson opened with his early breakout hit Is She Really Going Out with Him? His voice and solo piano had the power and force of his younger self. The audience was right there with him as he sang “Look over there” as they shouted without pause “where?”.
Then entered Graham Maby, Jackson’s longtime bassist for another early hit, It's Different for Girls, accompanying him through the dual instrumental arrangement.
For the third song the full ensemble joined in for the opening track Welcome to Burning‐by‐Sea from his 2026 release Hope and Fury. Drummer Doug Yowell, guitarist Teddy Kumpel joined in with Felipe Fournier on vibes and percussions. Notably was how rhythmically complex the song was as Fournier brought a whole new depth with his latin rhythms. And throughout the concert Jackson’s piano playing hit smartly nailed that latin syncopation. This percussiveness is more common to Jackson’s sound than one would consider if only familiar with his earliest works from his first three early eighties releases.
Other new songs performed were I’m Not Sorry, After All This Time and End of The Pier. The former is lyrically Jackson’s proclamation for no apologies portraying no compromise. While the latter had a bass driven funky groove as Jackson described faint, now-and-then observations of a pier and its place as a tacky entertainment destination.
Early in the set he went into Another World from his 1982 Night and Day. This showcased Fournier on vibes. Again a song that reminds us of these complex latin rhythms that go way back for Jackson. In a recent interview Jackson recalled New York in the early days. While the rest of the band was off to C.B.G.C., he explored latin music. This has influenced his music since.
Jackson addressed the crowd with thanks and expressed gratitude for finally performing in Valencia for the first time and was met with wild applause. The sentiment cut both ways.
The setlist included a mix of deeper cuts like Fool, Strange Land, Be My Number Two and Target. Jackson’s homage for the fool was in the context of Shakespere. How the fool is there to make us laugh but the twist is that the fool is quite clever.
This song again brings home that part of Jackson’s musical genius within his lyrics. Thought providing, emotionally charged from an outsider’s perspective. They shout out for you to think.
Favorite classics the fans loved were Real Men, Look Sharp! and Stepping Out, which ended the main set. Sunday Papers started stripped down and uniquely arranged. When he sang “If you want to know how to play guitar.”, guitarist Kumpel improved some rudimentary and slightly dissonant descending chord run. And if my eyes didn’t deceive me, Jackson cracked up laughing at this sonic inside joke. It wonderfully caught Jackson in an honest and spontaneous moment.
Jackson often plays cover songs at his shows. They range across a full musical spectrum from Zappa to Stevie Wonder. And last night we were treated to David Bowie’s Scary Monsters. The encore continued with a favorite hit You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want).
The concert ended with Jackson playing the reflective confessional Hometown. Here we returned to him playing solo bringing a bookend close to the night with the solo opening expanding to a peak, then ultimately contracting to an intimate end. The concert was nothing less than brilliant!
Words and photos: Philamonjaro
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