Jimmy Webb

Brisbane Powerhouse 24.06.17

A capacity house turned up to see Jimmy Webb on the first night of his current Australian tour. One of the grand masters of twentieth century American songwriting, Webb took the stage alone. With just a piano, a gift for storytelling and a set list loaded with bona fide classics, Webb held the audience enthralled from the moment he began with his opening number, ‘The Highwayman’. The song illustrates Webb’s unique narrative gifts and also what he can do with a melody.

The opening gambit led to a story about the country outlaw Waylon Jennings that showed Webb, despite his many accolades, is quite comfortable poking fun at himself.

Although he’s made many fine solo albums, the Webb legend was built on the songs he wrote for others. ‘Up, Up And Away’, a hit for the Fifth Dimension, was an early highlight. The accompanying story – which we won’t give away here – tells a lot about time, place and the bond of a good parent. When Webb struggled to hit the top note … he asked the audience to help him. The result was melodic bliss.

Webb recalled working with the likes of Art Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt and discussed his loathing of Donald Trump and the love he has for some of his contemporaries. He also gave his take on the Kanye West appropriation of his hit for Nina Simone (‘Do What You Gotta Do’) that became the Taylor Swift dig, ‘Famous’.

Perversely,  seventeen writers are credited on ‘Famous’. Twelve were nominated for a Grammy and Webb, who has a thirty-three percent writer’s credit, wasn’t one of them. He’s not happy about that – and thinks a Grammy in 2017 is hardly worth the metal to press them.

At the heart of the show lay Webb’s relationship with Glen Campbell. The two share a five decades old bond. The connection started when Webb drove twenty-two miles as a kid to buy Campbell’s single, ’Turn Around, Look At Me’.

At various points during the night Webb discussed Campbell and treated us to ‘Wichita Lineman’, ‘Galveston’ and ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’. He also spoke about Glen’s new album and closed his show with the record’s title track, the Webb penned ‘Adios’.

Before he went, of course, he had to play ‘MacArthur Park’. The song inspired the title of his just released memoir, The Cake And The Rain. Webb offered an alternate reading of the song which somehow broke the epic down for the audience into parts. As Webb pounded out the chords, you could see and hear the song’s genius laid bare. The song splits music lovers into camps. Tonight, Webb was surrounded by true believers.

The artist himself exudes warmth. There’s a mastery in his work and to witness the songs played as they were written, alone at a piano, was a privilege.

Sean Sennett