Browne gives fans what they came for

PORTLAND — A slightly reserved crowd greeted Jackson Browne with polite applause as he strummed his guitar a few times to kick off his concert here at the Cumberland County Civic Center Tuesday night.

Two hours, seven minutes, 21 songs, and three encores later, that same group of 4,000 reserved fans lavished thundering applause on the environmental activist-thematic rock and pop singer as he brought the house to its feet and left them calling for more.

Browne played a mix of new tunes from his new “I’m Alive” album, old classics from his “Running on Empty” and debut albums, and favorites from the ’80s like “Lives in the Balance.”

The 45-year-old Browne kicked things off with one of his first major hits: “Doctor My Eyes,” which met with excitement and applause from the audience.

The acoustics were excellent, the sound was almost perfect, and Browne’s voice sounded the same on Tuesday night’s rendition as it does on his debut album’s soundtrack.

In fact, Browne’s voice doesn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from the aging process. Unlike recent Portland visitor Billy Joel, Browne didn’t have to make any apologies for not being able to hit the high notes … because he still can.

Commenting that he was glad to be out of earthquake country and “into the deep freeze,” Browne launched into the title cut from his new album “I’m Alive.”

Browne didn’t waste his momentum as he followed those up with “World in Motion” from his last album and new cuts “Everywhere I Go,” a reggae-style song, and “My Problem is You.”

Next on the playlist was his big 80’s hit “In the Shape of a Heart,” which fans responded to with rhythmic clapping, and “I’ll Do Anything,” a song Browne wrote for the currently-playing movie with the same title.

Things heated up a bit with the uptempo rock tune “Miles Away” and Browne’s breakthrough hits “Boulevard” and “That Girl Could Sing.”

Browne was sure to include cult classic “The Road,” a song he said he was inspired to write while on the road to New Jersey after leaving a show in Portland.

Browne then wowed the crowd with “The Pretender,” and “Running on Empty.”

Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the second encore, in which he sang fan favorite and cult classic “The Load-Out,” which he blends with the early ’60s hit “Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiac.

Tuesday’s concert appeared to be almost as much fun for Browne and his 7-person band as it was for the fans. It was a top-notch performance rock-pop music fans will be sorry they missed.