The Jayhawks’ Gary Louris at The Colony in Woodstock, NY March 20, 2025 with Chris Maxwell Opening
Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris played an intimate solo acoustic performance at The Colony in historic Woodstock, New York on March 20, 2025. The visceral downhome Woodstock vibe could be felt throughout the night, as Louris performed songs from his three solo albums and classic Jayhawks material, as well as a Golden Smog tune, a rare Johnny Cash collaboration, and a new unreleased song.
Louris appeared on stage looking stylishly cool, clad in a classic leather jacket/white t-shirt/blue jeans fit, and gave the enthusiastic crowd a pointer finger “one moment” signal while he set up his two guitars (an acoustic and a 12-sting acoustic), one of which was brought up by his wife Stephanie. He made final adjustments to his mic, and placements for his guitars and assortment of harmonicas on their respective music stand, before addressing the crowd with, “Woodstock is my home away from home. It definitely feels like home for my wife and I.” He opened with “Follow” from his 2021 solo album Jump For Joy, and then, somewhat embarrassed, asked Stephanie to get his set list for the night he’d left in his guitar case. “Amateur!” someone humorously called out, which made him smile. “I have some wonderful friends in the audience tonight, and I see some familiar faces out there.” After the Jayhawks’ “Angelyne,” Louris mentioned how the band had the honor of opening for Johnny Cash back in 1994. He explained that after Johnny’s passing, he got a call from Johnny’s son who asked him to be a part of the “Forever Words” project, where he was tasked with writing music to some lyrics Cash had written back in the 1950s. He said there were a lot of words to the song, and to wish him luck before playing a flawless version of the rare “What Would I Dreamer Do.”
During the two songs that followed, “Getting Older” (the first of six songs he played from his latest low-fi Dark Country album) and “Sound of Lies” (which Louris admitted was one of his favorite Jayhawks songs), you could have heard a pin drop in the room, as the crowd sat spellbound by Louris’s poignant performances. Having celebrated his 70th birthday recently, Louris has not lost any of his vocal prowess, that captivated the rapt audience and at times pierced the very marrow of bone. Louris was personable and engaging, providing insights into the songs, and speaking candidly with the crowd. He marveled at the fact that The Jayhawks are celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band this year, before launching into “Somewhere in Ohio” (from the band’s 2000 Smile album), he explained that he gets some of his ideas for songs from clipping headlines from the New York Times, which led him to write “Quiet Corners and Empty Spaces,” and after performing “We’ll Get By” (from his first 2008 solo record Vagabonds), he noted, “Every time I sing that song, I think it sounds like a Billy Joel song,” to which a patron causally retorted, “I’m not hearing that.” During “Waiting for the Sun,” which Louris described as “The song that put us on the map due to an MTV video back in 1992,” I was personally caught up in an emotional wave of nostalgia, since that was the song that inspired me to immediately drive to our local record store and buy their Hollywood Town Hall album, and the catalyst for me becoming a lifelong fan of the band. The Golden Smog gem “Listen Joe,” which Louris wrote with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, was also a treat to hear in this acoustic format.
At one point, Louris mentioned how George Drakoulias, who produced The Jayhawks’ Hollywood Town Hall and Tomorrow the Green Grass albums, was also the music supervisor on the TV series Severance, which he and his wife have been streaming. His wife Stephanie was a consistent mention and presence during the night, due to the fact Louris’s latest album Dark Country is what he describes as “a collection of love songs to my wife.” Louris played six songs from the release, including: “Getting Older” (which contains a similar chugging rhythm, beat, and harmonica as “Waiting for the Sun” with a bit of “You Look So Young” thrown in), “Couldn’t Live A Day Without You,” (which would have fit nicely with the songs on his last solo venture Jump for Joy), “Better to Walk Than to Run” (an apparent Simon & Garfunkel influenced song co-written with Jayhawks side player Stephen McCarthy), “Two Birds” (with its droning 12-sting acoustic guitar, it could have been an outtake from The Jayhawks Sound of Lies album), “Listening to Bobby Charles” (containing the Beatles reference to “blue suburban skies”), and “Living on my Phone” (one of three encores of the night). “Kingston Girl,” a song Louris said would “most likely end up on the next Jayhawks album later this year,” and “All the Right Reasons,” which Louris wrote back in 2003 and now claims somehow “willed my wife into existence,” were also dedicated to his wife. It was certainly wonderful to witness the love, support, and appreciation that people were giving to this underrated singer-songwriter-musician, even on the new songs, which they were not as familiar with as the Jayhawks material.
When Louris left the stage, the crowd stood applauding until he returned, and after playing 20 songs including two encores, Louris gave them one final number that he instructed, “sing along with this one,” ending the night with The Jayhawks’ sublime “Blue,” which did indeed get everyone singing, to the delight of Louris, who took a moment in the end to absorb the joy he’d created, before waving and exiting the stage, leaving the collective Colony crowd in good spirits.
For more information: https://www.garylourismusic.com/ and https://www.jayhawksofficial.com/
Woodstock musician and acclaimed singer-songwriter Chris Maxwell opened the show. Maxwell’s soulful croon, mindful lyrics, and unique Americana-pop finger-picked acoustic and electric guitar playing meshed with keyboard drum-machine beats set a great tone for the night. He dialed in his 64 keyboard drum machine, while being heckled by fans and friends in the crowd. After his opening song “Impossible Knot,” someone hollered out, “More Drum Machine!” as he adjusted knobs and clicked switches. Maxwell countered, “You need to say that in a Christopher Walken voice” (referencing the now famous SNL “More Cowbell” skit). The dynamic bridge in “Mess of Things” and the mirky blues tune “I Don’t Hear You” (with Maxwell performing an intense guitar solo, which he ended abruptly to enthusiastic applause) were two stand-out songs that displayed Maxwell’s skillful musicianship. “Here is the one moment of change in the show,” he deadpanned, switching to his acoustic guitar for “Things Have Changed In Me” from his 2016 Arkansas Summer album. Afterward, a patron enthusiastically called out “Chris!” to which Maxwell commented, “This is my favorite bar in the world” before playing “I’ve Got No One To Drink With Anymore,” “Wish I Could See It Coming,” and “Unbroken.” A half-hour into his set, he asked for the time, and when a few people answered “7:35!” he quipped, “That question was not meant for the patrons, I was actually asking someone in charge.” When verified officially that it was indeed 7:35, Maxwell declared, “Good, then I can tell some stories and shit.” He programed his keyboard drum machine to “The Liverpool setting,” then played “Devil Song” and “Sinister Love,” the latter he explained was “a song about infidelity that I got from the bible.” When he announced he only had time to play one more song, “a short one,” someone uttered a disapproving “Nooo!” which got a laugh. He finished his set with “Can’t Write You Into This Song,” before thanking the crowd for their support, and Gary Louris for the opportunity to open for him.
For more information: https://www.maxwellsongs.com/
GARY LOURIS SETLIST:
Follow
Angelyne
What Would I Dreamer Do
Getting Older
Sound of Lies
Somewhere in Ohio
Couldn’t Live A Day Without You
Better to Walk Than to Run
Quiet Corners & Empty Spaces
We’ll Get By
Two Birds
Waiting for the Sun
Listening To Bobby Charles
Listen Joe (Golden Smog song)
White Squirrel
Kingston Girl (new song – “probably a new Jayhawks song”)
All the Right Reasons
Tailspin
ENCORES:
Stumbling Through the Dark
Living On My Phone
Blue
CHRIS MAXWELL SETLIST:
Impossible Knot
Mess of Things
I Don’t Hear You
Things Have Changed For Me
I’ve Got No One To Drink With Anymore
Wish I Could See It Coming
Unbroken
Devil Song
Sinister Love
Can’t Write You Into This Song
