The Jayhawks

I'm a long-time Jayhawks fan though this was my first time seeing them live so I wasn't sure what I was in for though had high expectations based on other reviews. The show was fantastic - I was amazed at how tight the band was - the harmonies were spot on. Gary Louris was captivating. His solos at the encore (Angelyne and Settled Down Like Rain) were beautiful. As many great songs as they played, my only complaint was the show didn't go longer and I would have loved to have heard more songs from Sound of Lies....

Wonderful musicianship and collaboration with the audience. Jerry never introduced the band members. He did not have to as it was a love-fest at the Fillmore. What a treasure to see the Jayhawks at this venue

Another amazing performance from this talented band! Crisp, clean, harmonious with great arrangements and lyrics! Maybe the best we have seen them.

I love the Jayhawks. They gave a great performance in spite of the muddy, muffled sound system. First and last show I go to at the Michigan Theater. I want to thank the chicks next to me who insisted on singing off key through out the entire show. They were able to make the poor sound even worse.

Been waiting for a possible reunion of this band forever. Couldn't wait to see them live and they delivered. The crowd was duller than anything, but the Jayhawks were BRILLIANT! Went home with a ...smile upon my face....

The venue was a bit fancier than we expected for a Jayhawks show, but the staff were all friendly despite being in uniform. While the decor itself was nice, it was also kinda boring. The band was good, but was not mixed entirely well. The entire show I could barely hear the piano player singing or playing. The opener, Rayland Baxter was boring (seen it before), and kept downing himself!

Jayhawks as expected were outstanding. Wish they would have played a few more older songs - something like eight of the 20 were off the new album Mockingbird Time. All were great but Gary Louris stood out, not only his voice but his harmonica and of course his guitar. The harmonies help make the band and live was no different then on vinyl or CD. Right up there with CSNY and Eagles in that regard. Crowded in the Wings, Blue, Take Me With you (When you Go), Angelyn and Tampa to Tulsa were some of the highlights. If only they had played Smile as the last encore ... it would have meant even more smiles for all that attended.

You think people would be excited to see one of the greatest alt-country bands back together for the first time in 15 years, but you would have been wrong. No offense to the Jayhawks (or Rayland Baxter who was very good), but they looked extremely bored and I couldnt blame them. I have seen the jayhawks several times dating back to the early nineties when I was in high school. The shows werent rowdy, but at least there was some sense of fun in the air. This show was packed with 50 year old aging hipsters trying to impress people that they were going to see the Jayhawks. You would get a song and a golf clap from the crowd and on to the next song. I dont think the band acknoledged there was a crowd. No sing along moments, no stand ovations, no banter from the band, just sit down shut up and watch. I told my girlfriend as we left. It didnt even feel like a concert, I felt as if I was leaving a movie theater that was playing a concert of the jayhawks on the screen.

The dual harmonies of Gary and Mark is like candy for the ears! Thanks again for the blissful tunes!

While the acoustics and ambiance of the Michigan Theater were amazing as always, the Jayhawks performance lacked the same. They played mostly songs off their new album, which all seemed monotonous reruns of the same melody/chord structure. The only bright spot was watching Rayland play his heart out for about 30 minutes.

With as any "favorites" I have determined over the course of my Jayhawks listening, I could be critical of the setlist, but the performance was outstanding. My excitement about their reunion, new album , and tour was confirmed. Great musicianship and uncanny harmonies make The Jayhawks hard to describe. Seeing is believing, listening is sublime.

They were once great,still good,but a little long on the tooth!

Very impressed. Exceeded my expectations. Could have maybe played a bit longer, but they hung out afterward to meet fans and sell merch. The sound was good and the Bluebird was a neat place. The crowd was well behaved which was nice. I have most of the Jayhawks albums, but had never seen them live, glad I did.

The Jayhawks are a phenomenal band and would have been great to see in a small theater setting, like Buskirk-Chumley. The average age of a Jayhawks fan (like myself) is now getting a little up in years, but we still like to see a great show. My wife and I, however, had a difficult time dodging a few drunken college students who preferred to do nothing but talk loudly during the course of the evening. I can tell you...they missed one of the great bands of our time. The musicianship and vocals were outstanding. Gary Louris, Mark Olsen, and the rest of the band were superb. The Bluebird is simply too small a venue. It's intimate and you can get close to the show, but you deal with people butting in front of you and not listening to the musicians. I want to see the Jayhawks in a theater setting and will do so by the end of the year. Love the band, hate the venue. I would give the band 5 stars and the facility 1 star. I would imagine that they immediately called their manager after the show and threatened him for getting them the gig.

They were great! All tuned up and in tune with the crowd. The show was a bit short even with the encore. But - they got quite a few songs in there! there quite a few new songs as well. The venue is an old Rock n Roll place and it is very cool. It is hot in there so be prepared for that! sole free now so that helps a lot

The House of Blues is a wonderfully intimate place to catch a live show! The Jayhawks were the perfect band for that setting on a beautiful fall Chicago evening. That was the perfect mix for an awesome Saturday night of live music! The Jayhawks rocked it out playing all of their best known hits and sprinkled in many great tunes that maybe did not get as much airplay back in the day but had you singing and grooving right along like it was 20 years ago. Totally solid performance, glad I heard about this show before and was able to get last minute tickets!!!

I saw the Jayhawks in NYC Oct 2011, and rated them 4 stars. A year of touring has polished their performance and vocals to a brilliant shine. The performance was spirited, harmonies perfect, which made for an amazing concert. Six stars.

My favorite Jayhawks albums are Smile and Rainy Day Music. Their other stuff is just "okay"; to my (admittedly probably highly unsophisticated) ear all the songs from the other albums sound the same. If you're into that, great, but if you're not, this isn't really a very compelling show.

They weren't much to look at, not much of a stage show, but I guess you don't go to a Jayhawks show for that, anyway. The music was very good but sounded a bit same-y after a while. I like the Jayhawks, probably what I'd call a medium-level fan. I have about half of their recorded output. I love the Rainy Day Music album but their first is way too country for me. I've seen plenty of other Jayhawks shows and I really thought this one was a yawn-er. Everyone is ranting about having the classic lineup of the band back, but I honestly like the performances I've seen with Gary Louris running the show much better. One thing sad, for sure, is when the biggest response you get all night is for a Grand Funk cover song. I liked the show... just didn't love it like I was hoping. The State Theatre was fantastic, as always. One of my favorite places to see a concert. Always great sound there.

I don't know all of their songs, but recognized most of them. Some of the songs I didn't recognize must have been from the new album and weren't that exciting. I was disappointed they didn't play Save It For a Rainy Day...this is on a Cities 97 Sampler and I've listened to it many times on road trips. There were a couple of songs I think they could have skipped and played Rainy Day instead.

The reconvened Jayhawks have apparently become Mark Olson's band, despite the fact that he quit in the mid-1990s. For ten years Gary Louris very ably carried the Jayhawks torch, leading them through three fine albums (Sound of Lies, Smile, and arguably their best record, Rainy Day Music). During their homecoming show at the State Theater on Feb. 18, they only played two songs from Rainy Day (saving "Tampa to Tulsa" until the encore) and none from the other two records. No "Smile," no "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"? It looks like, for the most part, they're only going to play songs that Olson either co-wrote or appears on. Which is a shame.

OK...I was suckered in to hearing them again...first at Basilica this past summer...and ya it was a moment of great things happening ...lots of good music by lots of good bands...and then again last Sat..Feb 18th...at the State Mpls...But that will be the last time...I know of good music..as I am a BoDean big time fan .....but the Jayhawks seem not to have that punch that is so needed with music of that sort...and yes...in the past it sounded like they had it once...but they dont anymore...not in this day and age anyway...I hope they can find some depth and get back where they once came from.......Good Luck with that...

The Jayhawks never disappoint! Wonderful harmonies and a mixture of new and old favorites.Awesome!

Great show, I brought my dad who is 69 to it. He loved them too!

It was an impressive evening with some seasoned musicians. Didn't get rockus enough for me until the end. I should have picked better seats as well. Love their songs.

The Jayhawks were fantastic! The show was amazing.

This show was great as usual. We did have front row, and don't recommend that for sound. We got a heavy dose of Mark's voice and none of Gary's guitar licks. I recommend being back at least 5-7 rows. They played almost the entire "tomorrow the green grass" album, which was awesome along with some new ones and a "a break in the clouds," which surprised me from the Smile album. Like always they sounded great and it seemed like all were excited with the exception of Mark at times.

When they started playing their first song, my husband and I looked at each other, shocked. They were so out of tune and out of synch with each other, it was terrible! It didn't improve much throughout the show. The best songs were those where Mark Olson sang back-up. It was also annoying that Minneapolis was never mentioned. Mark kept saying how much he liked being in Minnesota, but it was as if the band was from out of town.

First time seeing Jayhawks live and I am sure it won't be the last!

The opening act was wonderful change of pace, Jayhawks were great, the State was a perfect setting for this event. The Jayhawks seemed a bit out of sync to start but quickly pulled it together. Like the new music and really appreciated their willingness to perform the music from the past few decades as well. Encore especially exciting.

I don't want to take this out too much on the band as their performance was "ok". Nothing special. However, their decision to allow people to use cameras and camcorders is a huge mistake. Yes, people are told not to use their flashes, but aren't smart enough to figure out how to do that. My main complaint is more how this policy affects concert attendees. It seems that many people, even after all this time, are just unable to understand how these lighted screens ruin the concert for people who are there to watch the show with actual eyes. The guy next to me was recording the whole show with the screen right in my peripheral vision. Pointing this out to him was useless. After all, it wasn't against the rules set up by the band! As to the music itself, I'd prefer to listen to them on my home stereo. These guys were never the kings of alt country and are very much an average band with a homogenous sound that traverses their entire discography. Hey folks, think about those around you when you pull out your gadgets. In fact, do you think you could get over those gadgets for a few hours and just enjoy the show or let us enjoy the show???

The Jayhawks were really on form, and it seemed as though they were having a good time. Everything gelled, and there was really good synergy going on. I have to confess that I'm not really a Jayhawks fan; I had bought the tickets for my girlfriend, because she is the Jayhawks aficionado of the household, but the show was so good that I ended up buying the new album and a poster afterward, and have been enjoying my listening tremendously. Great bands shine when they play live, and Jayhawks far exceeded my expectations. Thanks for an amazing concert, in a beautiful venue where sound and ambiance is exceptional. Great job!

This band still has it. Sounds just like they always did.

awesome from start to finish - even the opening act was strong!

And so again, into the lake of fire know as Hollywood, flew the blessed sounds of the Jayhawks from Minnesota. Armed with their new album and 20 years of great songs they brought sanity back to town. Great, great stuff from this very authentic heartfelt group that needs to have their work on major airwaves!!!!!! Their harmonies, melodies and gorgeous chord changes were soothing to the soul! I loved their new work and highly recommend the deluxe version of the album titled "Mockingbird Time." It has great interviews and rehearsal footage of the new songs. It also contains a bit of old footage from the early days. Well worth it!

It's great to see the band back together. They sounded awesome!

The Jay Hawks were exceptional -- all original members were there. The venue was at the House of Blues in Houston. We wern't lucky enough to get center Balcony and had to settle for Left Balcony rows G & H seats 101 & 102 in each row respectively (the 4 of us) and from those seats we could not see Gary Loris, the railing was in the way. It was good to see Gary, Mark, Marc, Tim and Karen back together - they really have a magic when they combine their talents.

Best Concert I've seen all year. I didn't know much about Jolie Holland, the opening act, but it took guts to come out in a solo performance with only a Les Paul to back her up, and I definitely liked her songs. The Jayhawks, with Louris and Olson together, were absolutely sublime. It was as though they never had broken up the band. The song selection, borrowed almost equally from the new Mockingbird Time album and from Tomorrow the Green Grass and Hollywood Town Hall, could not have been better, and the Louris/Olson harmonies (though a bit ragged at first) got better and better as the night wore on.

Disappointing was the feeling I had leaving the Pageant last Thursday night. I was really excited about the prospects of this show, but unfortunately I felt it failed to deliver. The opening act was a yawner and the Jayhawks could have done so much more of their great collection of songs. I thought it was a weird way to support a new album because the performance was short, played very limited new material and the was just lackluster and the crowd reflected that. I'm a late bloomer to the Jayhawks sound, but bought up all I could find over the years and really wanted to hear them live, especially after reforming the band. Maybe the studio is their strength and not the road.

First time I'd seen the Jayhawks, and it was definitely a worthwhile show. They played a nice mix of new and old songs. They were laid back and seemed like they were having a good time and so was the crowd.

I love the Jayhawks and I think Rainy Day Music is one of the best albums of its genre. However, their show at the Pageant only featured two songs from that album. On top of that I felt the band showed very little personality. There was very little interaction with the crowd and i felt they were simply going through the motions. And how do you only play 2 songs off of what is by far your best album? I know they've just released a new album but please!

What a great band! I love the music these guys make. This is a talented lot who truly have the magic. Thanks for a wonderful show! I wish there had been more songs from Rainy Day Music, but Tampa to Tulsa and Angeline were excellent!

I had tickets to see the Jayhawks open up for Tom Petty in 1995. A week before the show Mark Olson left the band and they were replaced with another opening act. I've always enjoyed the Jayhawks music and my wife also became a big fan. This was probably our only shot to see them as we live in Florida. First off, the Buckhead Theatre is very cool and was the perfect size for this show. Tift Merritt opened the show and was excellent. The Jayhawks came on and opened with Clouds from Hollywood Town Hall. Something about Gary and Mark's voices together just sounds so good. They did a great job of mixing classics and songs from the new cd. Would have love to hear a few more songs from Smile and the song Broken Harpoon. But the night had some many great song it did not matter. The band was tight, mix was great, and crowd was enjoying themselves. After the show Gary, Marc and Tim came into the lobby to hang with the crowd for photos, etc. Spoke with all of them and they could not have been any nicer. 16 years later...it was worth the wait.

First off, I am a big Jayhawks fan. Loved them back in the 90s and was excited they were coming to town. Unfortunately they were horrible. Old, dull and uninspired. I have never walked out of a concert in my life and I only made it through seven songs. Its possible they just were having a bad night, but cardboard cutouts fronting a recording of a 1995 Jayhawk show would have been better. A complete waste of time and money. Buyer beware

Amazing. The show was a continuous sing-along. So great to see them playing together again. They even played non-Olson tunes, in high spirits. Go see them!

The Jayhawks were great. They did several new songs from their latest album "Paging Mr Proust" as well as a lot of classics. They played well over 20 songs such as Tampa to Tulsa, I'd Run Away, Save It for a Rainy Day, Blue, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, Tailspin, etc... If you get a chance to see them, you should! The opening act was Folk Uke. They were hilarious.

There are always great songs that they don't get around to playing. That's because the have too many great songs. They sounded perfect as always. Played a lot of material off the new album which makes you appreciate it more.

What an incredible show at Town Hall Tuesday night! The set list was awesome and the Neil cover of Sedan Delivery was an amazing encore! Town Hall is a great place to see a show and I highly recommend the seats in the loge! You can't go wrong up there!

I've seen the Jayhawks in many different editions over the years, and I was very happy to see the entire group reformed on their last tour. Mark Olson's re-departure in August '14 is a bit of a disappointment, but the group still sounds very much the same, nice tight harmonies between Louris and Tim O'Reagan and Kraig Johnson on second guitar rounds out the sound. Still worth the price of a ticket. The opening act, Trapper Schoepp is also worth seeing.

Lucked out on some of the late released front row tickets. Went with another longtime Jayhawks fan. Beautiful job on recent renovations at the Carolina Theater. Mark Olsen was visibly pleased with the animated crowd. Gary Louris was plugged in, which was an exciting contrast from some solo acoustic shows in the recent past. Band was really accessible, came out to the merch table. Tift Merrit was a solid opener. I was surprised and pleased to see Eric Heywood backing her and he came out later and played steel during some Jayhawks songs.

Saw them at the Beacon Theatre, NYC with Rosanne Cash opening ( yes she was great too!) Gary joined Rosanne for a duet on "Seven Year Ache". One of the other reviews mentioned that 8 out of 20 songs were from the new album, like it was a bad thing. If they weren't producing new material they might as well be an oldies band. Whether you like the new songs ( I do ) or think they work in a live setting is a matter of personal opinion or taste, but I did note that Gary and Mark's harmonies were really perfect on the new material, like they took extra care in preparing.

The band was as good as I ever remember them being. Sound was good and it was a nice small hall. But standing room only SUCKS!!!!! Very, very few seats and they seemed to be sold seconds after the tix went on sale. So it was a very good show, that was very unenjoyable. This was my last show at this venue, because of this, unless I can get seats. With all the venues in Portland too bad it had to be here.

Great show. Sounded great, played good songs, venue was just right.

Saw them for the first time late 80's and loved Blue Earth. Saw them several times since and they were always good. 2010? tour with Mark Olson was fabulous. Was wary how they would sound without Mark - not to worry - Tim (the drummer) has been with them so long that he has all the harmonies down perfectly. His voice is more polish and non-froggy sounding than Mark's, but all the vocals blended beautifully. Glad Karen is back. And Gary still sounds wonderful. Did a nice job of mixing old with new and played much longer than I expected. Nicely done.

The Jayhawks rock the house as always and play song after song from their Amazing Repertoire.. They played songs from their new album which just added to the Musicality which makes them so Great.....Another Rockin' Show!

The Jayhawks are better than ever-the new CD is a classic and they play most of it with ALL of the old favorites. Don't miss this tour if you are lucky enough to get a show near you!

If you are an old or new fan, you won't be disappointed. The band sounds great live. They are clearly professionals and know how to play their instruments. I am biased, because this is one of my favorite bands. However, if you just love good music with guitars, melody and harmonies, you will love this band in concert. My only complaint was that they didn't play "Smile" as it is my wife's favorite song by them and has special memories. I guess it is hard to cover a 25 year career in a 2 hour concert. All songs that were played were awesome. Gary Louris sounds the same live as on recordings. Also, he is an amazing guitar player. The set goes fast as there is not a lot of talking. They just go from one song to the next. It was a great concert and a great time!

I've been meaning to see the Jayhawks for a long time and knew they would be good, but this show exceeded all of my expectations. Great song selection and the performance was amazing.

The Jayhawks put on a great show, it was awesome to see the whole band back together again! The Royale in Boston was also a very clean and enjoyable place to watch the show.

Fantastic show ! Band was super tight and sounded great. Nice mix of new and old songs.

This band is relentless!!! From the opening hook of Waiting For The Sun straight through for 2 hours, the Jayhawks just rocked the Music Hall. I don't know what else to tell you. I liked the show so much, I had to go and see them again the next night. They played most of their new album (which is great) but also didn't skimp on the old favorites. The whole audience singing along on a few songs (Blue, Tailspin, I'm Gonna Make You Love Me) just told you that you were there with a crowd that was totally into it. If you're a Jayhawks fan at all, this is the tour to see!!!

Great venue, great sight lines, great accoustics and great band.

Great concert. Funky venue. Like them better at the Somerville theater but still a great show. Opening act Folk Uke was odd...however they have great voices and should join the Jayhawks as band members.

Opener Folk Uke is not to be missed, talented and fun. The Jayhawks were great, what else needs to be said. Wall to wall good tunes!

It has been a long time since a concert was great from the beginning.The opening band Trapper Shoepp and the Shades with special guest Gina Romatini, based out of Wisconsin this new Americana band wowed us all as time flew by with the fun tunes like "Run Engine Run" to somber sounds of " So Long". Definitely a must see up and coming band. The stage was cleared and poised for the Jayhawks to take the stage. Original members Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg and Tim O'Reagan took the stage along with Kraig Johnson who joined the line up in 1997. One word; Magic! They were so laid back and relaxed having fun playing song after song from their material 1997-2004. "Think about it". "Trouble", " Settled Down Like Rain", "Smile" and on and on of some of their best material shared and written in our lifetime. Deep, poignant ,masterpieces in their own right. Karen surprised us with "I'm down to my last cigarette". A true hidden voice talent. The show was worth every moment. Variety Playhouse it a great venue to see any band in a small intimate setting. Great acoustics, good staff, great crowd. Would recommend!

The Jayhawks show at Town Hall in NYC on Oct. 28, 2014 was great. They played tunes from their entire library...plus a coupla Golden Smog tunes, and an old country number. Sound was good, tho a bit unbalanced at the beginning. The addition of the fiddle/mandolin player was a nice touch. Never seen that at a Jayhawks show (I've been to half a dozen shows). The Town Hall is a nice venue. 1500 capacity, not a bad seat in the house. The only thing that I didn't like about the show...more likely the venue...was that we could not stand to dance to the songs. It was an older crowd, and the Town Hall didn't really lend itself to standing. An old theater, it is a sitting venue. Unfortunate. We had to get up and go to the back at the end of the show in order to dance a little to the Jayhawks. Good time tho.

Great performance and very intimate setting. The only negative was the sound system. Couldn't always hear the vocals. The instruments outplayed the vocals at times. Having said that, I would definitely see them again. This is the way to see and hear music. No light show just great music!

The band was excellent although there was a problem with the sound mix of the vocals. The vocals were very hard to hear. It was obviously the sound mix because the opening act Trapper Schoepp had excellent sound on the vocals. Otherwise it was a good show by the Jayhawks who covered the music on the cds they were reissuing. They were really tight and it was a pleasure to hear Gary's excellent guitar work.

These guys were truly happy to be performing in NYC! Their vibe was infectious. Also helps that I was in the front row. Great gig! Opening act fit in perfectly, too.

Great show. The Jayhawks sounded perfect. The set list was a great mix of material. They included a couple of Golden Smog classics.

Fantastic show. The band was engergized and played with talent and passion. And the Scottish Rite in Collingswood NJ is still one of the best venues in the area for serious music fans

The Jayhawks played for two hours and covered almost all their"hits" or memorable songs from their most popular albums from the '90s. The band was tight, although the harmonies not quite as lovely as on the records. Venue acoustics maybe the cause, but not a bad seat anywhere in this intimate auditorium. The accompaniment by the fiddle player from the opening band added a nice sound later in the show. Opening band, Trapper Schoep, was a special treat. Best of luck to this promising and talented group of songwriters and musicians. New-bluegrass, Jackson Browne type sound. I love the Jayhawks music - beautiful harmonies and melodies with their unique old school country rock/pop flavor with just enough jangly distorted guitar tone.

Show was great EXCEPT the sound was a little distorted and thought the mixing could have been better. Hard to understand singing at times if didn't know the song. Band was on target.

With Mark Olson having rejoined the band for their studio album, I was wondering what the Jayhawks would do with him on a tour to support reissues of the studio albums they cut without him. They didn't bring him. That said, the rest of the band was intact and they brought along touring guitarist Kraig Johnson. They performed for over two hours and included material primarily from the three post-Olson album and some earlier bits as well, "Settled Down Like Rain" for example. The House of Blues, however, is an awful venue. While the staff is extremely helpful, the concert started over 90 minutes late and, apparently, this is not unusual for HoB. Coupled with the fact that there's no actual seating unless you also spend money on their overpriced chain-restaurant makes this a literally painful experience. Buying food gets you a stool! HoB is a tourist place catering to an older crowd, not some hip rock club. Inexcusable. I've had better seating at back alley night clubs.

The Jayhawks were great. We purchased a upgrade in order to get reserved seats. Our seats were "restricted view" seats. Not what we paid for. But the band was fantastic and I would see them again.