photo by Matt Bizer
When you look at a show listing and see that it starts at 7, you feel like you have to look again to make sure it wasn’t a misprint. At The Wayfarer in Costa Mesa, that is exactly what happened when Jason Hawk Harris opened for Jade Jackson. Why the early start? Well, after Jade Jackson, the venue hosted a 90s party.
Jason Hawk Harris took the stage promptly at 7 and played a set that included songs from his acclaimed album Love and the Dark. Harris and his bandmates injected plenty of punk energy into the country sound as they played songs like “Phantom Limb” and “Blessed Interruption”. It was an intriguing set even if it was too short and over by 7:45. Harris was definitely worth seeing and for those seeing him for the first time, he proved he is worthy of seeing again.
Jade Jackson took the stage shortly thereafter and showed why she was added to the Stagecoach lineup for 2020. Without being overly theatrical, she entranced the audience immediately by opening the set with “Motorcycle”. She and her band (including Julian Ness on guitar) wasted no time moving through songs like “Finish Line” and “Wildnerness”.
When you hear people talk about star quality, it can be a hard concept to define. Whatever it takes to make star power in a singer, Jade Jackson has it. Wearing a black top with while polka dots and black jeans, she wasn’t flashy. But her voice and her lyrics are so powerful that she doesn’t need any sort of antics or wild fashion to maintain the audience’s attention.
Just like Harris’s set, Jackson’s was done too quickly. At 9:00 – when the night is still relatively young – the show was over. The good news is that those present caught a really good show with two artists who seem like they have real staying power in the world of country and Americana music. https://jadejackson.com