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CONCERT REVIEW: Glen Campbell @ Irvine Auditorium, Sept. 15
With tickets priced high enough to keep away the merely curious, Glen Campbell's Goodbye Tour drew an adoring, mostly middle-aged crowd that laughed at every corny old line ("I'm happy to be here. ... At my age, I'm happy to be anywhere"), responded to each well-worn move, and even clapped for his first few guitar solos. It's the last of these that counts most; with the 75-year-old back in the spotlight for his Alzheimer's diagnosis, it's a relief to report that his hands knew just what to do with the showy solos on late-'60s hits like "Gentle on My Mind" and "Galveston."
CONCERT REVIEW: Glen Campbell @ Irvine Auditorium, Sept. 15
words by M.J. Fine | photos by Chris Sikich
With tickets priced high enough to keep away the merely curious, Glen Campbell’s Goodbye Tour drew an adoring, mostly middle-aged crowd that laughed at every corny old line (“I’m happy to be here. … At my age, I’m happy to be anywhere”), responded to each well-worn move, and even clapped for his first few guitar solos.
It’s the last of these that counts most; with the 75-year-old back in the spotlight for his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, it’s a relief to report that his hands knew just what to do with the showy solos on late-’60s hits like “Gentle on My Mind” and “Galveston.”
Backed by a band that included three of his kids and two ringers (they doubled as Instant People, the opening act) plus longtime keyboard player T.J. Kuenster, Campbell was content to soak up a career’s worth of adulation. His once-smooth voice now sounds pleasantly weathered, and if he seemed more comfortable strutting than strumming, well, so do plenty of singers. If sometimes he had to look toward his daughter or sons to find his way, well, that’s what family’s for. And if he got a bit confused by the lyrics to Paul Westerberg’s “Any Trouble,” well, the Replacements frontman certainly confused himself plenty in his own heyday.
Campbell’s trademark yearning sound was much in evidence on classics like “Wichita Lineman” and the “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” and on a slow, synthy take on Tom Petty’s “Walls,” and the audience was happy to help him out on the chorus of “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Campbell, too, seemed to derive pleasure from performing, especially when he took on guitar/banjo duel with daughter Ashley, cracked jokes about John Wayne and Elvis Presley, and tipped his metaphorical cap to songwriter Jimmy Webb.
But what made the show more than a recital of Campbell’s greatest-hits was a smattering of songs from Ghost on the Canvas, his fine new record. On the title song — another Westerberg contribution — Campbell nailed the conversational, soaring style that built his reputation as a master interpreter of other people’s songs. Even a sharp note couldn’t take that away from him. (“You don’t want to be perfect,” he noted afterward, “’cause they’ll want it every time.”) “It’s Your Amazing Grace” took advantage of his band’s supportive backing vocals to keep the sentiment from getting too thick. And a two-song encore of the twangy “In My Arms” and “A Better Place” reminded everyone of how much fun a big guitar solo can be, and how gratitude begets gratitude.
Unlike Johnny Cash, who had an extended resurgence at the end of his career, Campbell decided he had just one album left in him, enough stamina for just a few months of farewell shows. Thursday seemed more like a valedictory than a victory lap. But you know both the star and his admirers felt blessed to part ways on such good terms.
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