Jewel: Live and Acoustic

Last Thursday night, I went to the Opera House to hear Jewel. It was the first time that I’ve actually been up to the Opera House.

Jewel: Solo, and Acoustic, Feb 19, 2004, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House.
Support: Shane Nicholson

Everything Breaks Sometimes / 1000 Miles Away / Near You Always / Morning Song / Little Sister / Stand / Carnivore / Life Uncommon / Hands / Sometimes it be that Way / 2 Become 1 / Foolish Games / Yodel Song / You Were Meant For Me / Down So Long / Who Will Save Your Soul.
Enc: Intuition / Angel Standing By

NB: the setlist is as best I recall, and is not complete.

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I saw Jewel in 1997 or 1998, on her ‘Spirit Tour’. The main reason for my interest this time was because it was advertised as a Solo and Acoustic tour, which nicely recaptured the sound and feel of her first CD Pieces of You, which for mine is still her best. While the other CD’s are sprinkled with a few standout tracks, Pieces of You has about 6-7 tracks that haven’t aged. (Foolish Games, Little Sister, Who Will Save Your Soul, You Were Meant For Me, Don’t, Angel Standing By, and Amen).

The songs she performed this time, probably for this reason, were mostly from her first CD, with a sprinkling from 0304 and Spirit, with one other song from This Way, and a number that I was not familiar with (though the some in the crowd did seem to be).

I was surprised that the show featured just three songs from the new CD: the singles Stand, Intuition; and another song 2 Become 1. Stand being the most political of the songs on the new album. The following references highlighted that for me: So much violence ends in silences, It’s a shame there’s no-one to blame for all the pain that life brings – you wonder if she’s pointing the finger about the war – as the other line On TV DC is selling lies, and the reference to What’s Going’ On by Martin Gaye).

Jewel did speak a little bit – not reading her poetry, which was a little disappointing but telling us stories, about her photo shoot that morning, about the 94 verses of Who Will Save Your Soul written as she wandered through to Mexico, how she toured with Bob Dylan, and wrote, Sometimes it be that Way. Sometimes it be that Way; has one of the phrases that I laugh almost every time I hear it - “And I’m sorry Jesus died for all my sins / I swear to God it won’t happen again”.

Though there were not many moments were Jewel would say, “This song I wrote at this point”, and “it is about this”. (I think she may have done it for WWSYS, and also SIBTW. She did invite requests, and played some of them, reminding us of the truth just because someone writes a song, doesn’t mean they can play it.

The new album, 0304, was for me, somewhat disappointing. The CD contains songs mostly about love; Stand, (as mentioned) and America (about living in America) are notable exceptions. Haunted is a novel take on a familiar theme. There’s nothing again in any of these songs that leaps out at you, and make you say wow. It is Jewel’s voice, but the ideas are not refreshingly different. The highlights are a line here and a verse there.

Summing up it was nice to have been to the Opera House for a concert, the hall was beautiful. I thought Shane Nicholson was great – he had a very similar feel to his music. All things considered it was reasonably good. But nothing really stood out. Nothing leaped out grabbed you, or demanded to be noticed, and left you with the impression you were at something special. The acoustic feel was good, just one person on stage, with her guitar. The crowd were mostly into it, some girls in front were particularly rowdy in their support. Other fans helpfully called out what they wanted to hear, Jewel did ask; reminding us she’d decide, that our ramblings helped her to think, and she would play something she remembered.

In general though, the gems of Jewel are not really her complete songs, though some do particularly stand out, instead I think it is smaller phrases in her songs. An illustration of this is perhaps her song the New Wild West from This Way. In The New Wild West she refers to our bleeding pens responded to by movie tickets. Politicians respond to our fears, by sending us to the movies (reminiscent of Soma from A Brave New World, subdue the masses with their escapism).

So we write to our congressmen with bleeding pens of the sorrow within
And in return, they just send tickets to the latest Tom Hanks show

In the song she then goes on to comment about (the lack of) leadership: and concludes by reminding us, that it begins with us resolving to be better each, every day.

And since it seems clear there’s no one leading us here
The only thing left it seems is to task ourselves
to be better each time than those before us.

And I think that’s a helpful reminder – to be looking at beginning with action, not complaint.

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Since the concert, it has been a fun week. There’s been a little more news about the job, MYC on the weekend, which was quite fun. I couldn’t tell you much about the talks. See Ben's site for his comments. Once I have had a chance to hear the talks I'll post something here. I'm looking forward to going up in a couple of weeks time.

It was good to met Ben in the flesh, albeit across a till, selling copies of the Briefing. Ben: I do look forward to talking with you at the next Word by Word meeting.

After MKC, I went to a friend’s 18th. Over the last five or so years it has been awesome to actually get to know one of the campers and her family who visit our mission. God has been gracious, and the family has kept coming to Mission. It is awesome as now these “kids” are at University, and we will be able to keep in contact.

The final point that has resonated through the weekend was the amazing Grace of God, that in the death of Jesus we are saved. Dependence, reliance on this truth is what matters. Yes, we may waver, we will struggle in the trials of life, but the work, the word, of God endures forever. I pray that I never tire of hearing the Good news of the Gospel of grace. I pray that the God of mercy and the mercy of God continue to startle my ears.

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