Aryn Sanderson
asanderson@mustangdaily.net
Veteran singer-songwriter Jackson Browne sings “The Pretender,” but with more than 40 years of experience, he sure isn’t one himself. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s 2013 Acoustic Tour hits the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Monday night.
“Jackson Browne is an iconic headline act, so when we get a chance to bring someone of that stature back to San Luis Obispo, we jump on it,” said Bruce Howard, president of Otter Productions, Inc.
Browne has performed in San Luis Obispo before and, in fact, was arrested here in 1981. The federal government had just approved testing at the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, and in an act of civil disobedience, protestors formed a human blockade at the site. On the first day of protests, 450 people were arrested. On the fourth day, Browne was one of 36 protestors arrested. In total, more than two thousand people were arrested during the two-week blockade — the largest number arrested at an anti-nuclear protest in the United States.
Browne was a political performer before activism was “in.” A longtime opponent of nuclear energy, Browne is also a co-founder of the groups Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) and Nukefree.org. Browne is known for his environmental advocacy, and his concert tour is an extension of his green philosophy with plastic bottles banned backstage.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Steven Adame said he commends Brown’s efforts.
“I think it’s cool that he’s trying to actually make a change and that he’s using his fame to help the environment,” Adame said.
Not only does Browne push the plastic-free backstage movement, he also makes Brita Hydration Stations available to dispense filtered water to concert attendees who bring reusable canteens. It’s estimated that since 2008, over the course of approximately 150 band and 50 solo dates, Browne’s “no plastic” rule has saved more than 50,738 plastic bottles from being used backstage, according to AOL News.
“He’s trying to get to zero-waste at his concerts,” Howard said. “He tries to cut back on catering backstage, so there’s not a whole lot of leftover food. We told him that catering here, Campus Dining, tries to give the students the extras, and he loved that.”
At 64, Browne is a living legend, a talented troubadour in an Auto-Tuned era. Browne wrote and recorded classics like “Running on Empty” and “Doctor My Eyes,” tunes that epitomize classic California rock.
“It’s not a Cal Poly Arts event, but, as a fan, I’m very excited to see Jackson Browne return,” director of Cal Poly Arts Steve Lerian said. “He’s one of the most popular artists of an era, and I’m looking forward to being in the audience and enjoying his vast repertoire of memorable songs from the ’70s and ’80s.”
Browne diehards don’t need to worry, Howard said. Browne gives the people what they want, and the people want to hear their favorite songs.
“Sometimes when you get an artist that has had a lot of hits, they’ll only play their new songs, but Jackson Browne will play his old stuff too,” he said. “That’s really important to a Jackson Browne fan — it’s really important for them to be able to hear their old favorites that they really love and cherish.”
The show sold out at least three weeks ago, but Howard said there might be a couple single tickets left.
Editor’s note: Watch a video of Jackson Brown performing “Running On Empty” below.