Show Review: The Jayhawks at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul

The Jayhawks at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, MN on December 20, 2024

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The Jayhawks played their annual holiday concert at The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minneapolis on Friday December 20, 2024 (the first of a two-day appearance). They have played shows in St. Paul each December since 2019 (with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and each year it is something different. This year, they showed their versatility, playing an intimate acoustic set, and then segueing into a dynamic electric set. The concert featured 26 songs in total, including ubiquitous Jayhawks classics, deep cuts, some different versions of songs from their varied catalogue of authentic Americana/Roots music, a few apt holiday covers, and a new tune (which will hopefully be included on a new Jayhawks album sometime in 2025). Besides the two festively lit trees on either side of the stage, the background screen behind the band projected beautiful winter images and painted portraits by Gary Louris’s son, artist Henry Louris (who was in attendance), which helped set the seasonal tone of the night.

It was apparent from the response after their opening song, “Forgotten Town” (also the opening track from their 2020 XOXO album) that love and the holiday spirit was in the air. The Jayhawks – Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Karen Grotberg, and Tim O’Reagan – are approaching their fortieth anniversary as a band, which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the mid-eighties. The band seemed relaxed and comfortable, evident when Louris casually addressed the crowd, “Thanks for coming everyone. We’re here for a couple nights. Finally got some snow. I live in Quebec now, and we’re way ahead of you up there in the snow department,” then turned to the rhythm section asking, “Do you start this one or do I?” before the band played “Angelyne” (a fan favorite off their 2003 Rainy Day Music album). A reworked version of “Somewhere In Ohio” followed, which was one of four songs they reimagined acoustically more laidback, slower paced, and rootsier (the others were “Big Star,” “Nothing Left to Borrow,” and “Settled Down Like Rain”) that were some of the standouts of the night both musically and emotionally.

A few songs in, Louris informed the audience that “It’s not really a Christmas show for us, we’re just playing during the holidays, but we have to give a little nod to the holidays, so this is a song by our namesake…we are called the Jayhawks because we were big fans of The Hawks, which became The Band.” They played a terrific version of The Band’s “Christmas Must be Tonight” (a song Louris confessed his Canadian wife Steph turned him onto), one of four select seasonal songs. Before another apt and well executed cover was Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December.” Louris explained the choice, “Christmas is a happy time for some, a dark time for others,” then added wryly, “Listen, we’re not going to do ‘Run Run Rudolph,’ and I’m certainly NEVER going to do ‘All I Want For Christmas’” (referring to the overplayed Mariah Carey song that usually dominates the airwaves right after Halloween each year). Drummer Tim O’Reagan sang the lead on this song, and the humility and honesty of his vocals proved perfectly suited for it. “Jesus Christ” by Big Star was another somewhat holiday choice, from one of Louris’s favorite bands and a significant Jayhawks influence. “Christmas Ain’t Like Christmas Anymore,” a Kitty Wells cover sung eloquently by keyboardist (and Jayhawks “Secret Weapon”) Karen Grotberg, also fit right in with the band’s musical repertoire.

Alongside many song surprises, Louris’ dry mid-western wit came out during the night’s performance. When his flying V guitar was brought out at one point, he quipped, “Nothing says Christmas like a Flying V,” before launching into “The Dust of Long Dead Stars,” an upbeat deep cut from their critically acclaimed 2016 Paging Mr. Proust album, that featured some skillful bass playing from Perlman. The next song “You Don’t Love Me” was a Matthew Sweet cover, but could have easily been mistaken for a Jayhawks song, as it fit right in with their original material with its vocal harmonies, gritty guitar solo, and gentle piano accompaniment. Admitting to being a big fan of Sweet’s music, Louris dedicated the song to the ailing musician who suffered a debilitating stroke this past fall, adding afterward, “All our best wishes to Matthew for a speedy recovery.”

The audience expressed their devotion and love to their Jayhawks throughout the night, applauding immediately and loudest at the opening chords of “Blue,” one of The Jayhawks best loved songs (and in this writer’s humble opinion, one of the greatest contemporary songs ever composed). When the band left the stage for the proverbial pause before the encore, the audience remained standing, clapping, howling, and cheering until their return, with Louris announcing humbly, “Thank you so much. We got time for one more. Tomorrow night we’ll be playing a bunch of other songs. We’ve been around so long,” then trailing off with the self-deprecating “Some would say too long,” before calling out a few fans in attendance by name, and starting “Save it for a Rainy Day,” another recognizable intro that received an instant reaction from patrons. Louris ended the night showing his appreciation for his hometown crowd, stating, “Thank you. You’ve been a wonderful audience, and we hope to see some of you tomorrow. If not, until next time: bonne soirée, bonne weekend, bonne holiday, bonne everything.” O’Reagan counted the band in for their final offering, “Sister Cry” (from their 1992 seminal Hollywood Town Hall album), which included some tasty solos from both Louris and Grotberg. The joyous vibe remained so palpable as the band exited stage left, that Grotberg was left sitting alone at her piano waving and smiling to various crowd members before noticing, stating, “Oops, I thought we were going to do another number…” and then quickly scampering off stage right.

The Jayhawks keep proving that, like a fine wine, they only improve with age, a sentiment recognized by their dedicated following of fans, who still appreciate and enjoy this underrated and underappreciated band’s musical talent, song variety, and unique live performances.

For more information on Henry Louris: www.henrylouris.com

For more information on The Jayhawks: https://www.jayhawksofficial.com/

To join Gary Louris’ Patreon posse: https://www.patreon.com/c/Garylouris/posts

Enjoy our previous coverage here: Show Review: Jayhawks at the Palace Theatre

SETLIST

ACOUSTIC SET:

This Forgotten Town

Angelyne

Somewhere in Ohio

Christmas Must Be Tonight (The Band cover)

Tampa to Tulsa

Across My Field