Jonathan Jackson from the TV-Series Nashville tours the UK with Echo & the Bunnymen. Yesterdays (16-OCT) show in Reading proved this being a rather divergent combination. The WEGOTIT NASHVILLE Review:
Echo & the Bunnymen was written on the ticket but a lot of the audience at The Hexagon in Reading, UK showed up for the support act. Yesterday (16-OCT) Jonathan Jackson – that’s Avery from the TV-Series Nashville to you – was a proper reason to get to the seats early if not the only reason to get a ticket at all. WEGOTT NASHVILLE just did so.
Unlike back in may, when he first supported the Bunnymen in the UK, he did not perform with his rock-band Enation but just with an acoustic guitar. Add a small ventilator, a handful of stage-lights and thats it.
Opening with Roman Road Jonathan delivered a solid 7-song-set where the music did the talking: His only words were a short goodbye after the closing song The Coming Down. Without the expected cover-songs like Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers) or All I Want Is You (U2) which he performed on recent UK-tours with his Nashville-TV-Show-Buddies he spiced up his 34 minutes show with Alleluia from Enation’s 2016 Blame-shifter EP and a heartbreaking rendition of Written In Gold. All in all a no-gimmick unplugged-show that transmitted some of the famous Bluebird vibe over the pond.
The Bunnymen, who are touring their recent album The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon, a rerecording of their old 80ies classics, offered a completely different picture to Jonathan’s fragile set: ear-deafening post-punk-songs with a highly intoxicated singer. Ian McCulloch even stopped the set after half an hour for a ten minute toilet stop …
Jonathan & The Bunnymen, quite a divergent combination, will be touring the UK together through 22-OCT. And later this year also in Canada and the US, as Jonathan’s Band Enation, which is definitely a better fitting soundwise, will be joining Echo & the Bunnymen for their Northamerican-Tour from 19-NOV ’til 04-DEC.
Jonathan Jackson’s Setlist in Reading (16-OCT-2018):
Roman Road
Sacred Cow
Rock Bottom
Echo Of Moscow
Alleluia
Written In Gold
The Coming Down
