Feb 12 - Roseland - Portland & Feb 13 - South Eugene HS - Eugene

Bruce Cockburn delighted full houses of attentive and appreciative fans in Portland and Eugene, drawing from a wealth of material spanning his 30 year recording career. From obscure surprises, classic standards and favorites, as well as new material from his latest release (#25), Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu, Bruce painted yet another aural masterpiece.

Always the word master for the thoughts and ideas he wishes to convey, set to fresh and innovative music, Breakfast in New Orleans, Dinner in Timbuktu is yet another rock-steady work, drawing from his inspirations and experiences from rolling around the planet. Reactions to the new songs, which made up a third of the setlist, were as enthusiastic as to any he performed. Highlights included a beautiful "Mango" and "Isn't That What Friends Are For?"

As with the 1997 tour to back their previous CD, Charity of Night, Bruce stripped down to a power trio format, with fellow Canadians Ben Riley on drums and Steve Lucas on bass. After the show Bruce mentioned to us that he was pleased to be able to pick up where they left off, rather than starting over as a band. And it showed.

Bruce delivered 2 solid sets of an hour each, including an instrumental piece in each set. He began each night with "You Don't Have To Play the Horses," a song from his 1973 release Night Vision. Another live rarity, "Feast of Fools" featured a blistering guitar solo. There were very generous encore offerings both nights. In Portland we were treated to two double encores, the last of which were a pair of surprises not penned by Bruce: "Blueberry Hill" (also on the new CD) and "Tequila." Sunday's encore leaned to the more serious side with "Dust and Diesel" from the 1984 release, Stealing Fire, as well as the timeless gem, "All the Diamonds," from an even earlier release, Salt, Sun and Time.

When I asked Bruce how it seemed he was able to perform his songs with the same intensity as when they were fresh, he stated that he will only play certain songs if he can play them with the original intent and feeling as when they were written or he will shelve the song until it feels right. Off the shelf, and with full impact, Bruce performed some of the best of this material, "If a Tree Falls," "Call It Democracy" and "Rocket Launcher."

Working many new intros to old songs and several tight jazz-infused jams, Bruce seems to be taking the opportunity to really stretch and highlight his immense talent as a guitarist within this trio. Bassist Steve Lucas did some high-end lead soloing on the instrumental pieces, which fit nicely alongside Bruce's impeccable acoustic finger-style picking. As much emphasis as is put on his lyrical content, his music speaks volumes as well.

But what about those lyrics? Bruce is undeniably amongst the most prolific, creatively descriptive songwriters of the past century. From the lush exquisitiveness of his love songs to the sharp rage of his anthemic works, drawing attention to various political, social, and environmental injustices, his imagery never ceases to arouse strong emotional response. Most apparent in his live performance, he maintains strong convictions to his words, not through any exaggerated flamboyance, but through an assured humility and reverence, most apparent in his vocal delivery, and equally in his eyes.


Article (C) 2000 - Tim & Ananda Owen
Photographs(C) 2000 - Tim Owen