Jake Clemons @ the Old Museum, Brisbane, Aug 16 2014

Jake & Jamie after Thursday night's show at the Substation.

[The following is a special report from guest contributor Jamie McLellan regarding a trip he took to see Jake Clemons in Brisbane this past Saturday night.]

After Wednesday night's opening show of Jake Clemons’s ‘Embracing Light’ acoustic tour of Australia at the Toff in Town in Melbourne's CBD, I quickly decided to ‘Embrace Life’ by booking a flight and accommodation in Brisbane for Saturday night's show at the Old Museum. This decision was subsequently confirmed after attending stellar shows at the Substation in Newport Thursday night and the following night's sold-out show at the Flying Saucer Club in Elsternwick.

On Saturday morning, with ‘A Day in the Life’ by the Beatles playing in my head, I woke up, fell out of bed and dragged a comb across my head. Looking up, I noticed I was late ...

Expecting a lift to Tullamarine Airport at any minute I found my coat and grabbed my hat and made it outside in seconds flat. Having been with me the previous night at the Flying Saucer Club my ride rocked up with a standard ‘feeling scummed tonic’ of a steaming, strong, skinny latte and we were off. Disembarking at the airport, however, I quickly realised that this Day Tripper was going to encounter a few difficulties.

Your reporter at Gold Coast Airport.

"He was a day tripper, one-way ticket yeah ..."

Though my flight was scheduled to depart at 10:00am I was advised by airline staff I could not obtain a direct flight from Melbourne to Brisbane until 7:00pm. Without much choice I switched to a 1:00pm flight to the Gold Coast followed by a train ride to Brisbane. A blessed cocktail of Gatorade and caffeine percolated through my veins as we arrived in Gold Coast, where a bus ride to Varsity Lakes Train Station was followed by a carefree, hour-long train ride into Brisbane.

I checked into my accommodation in the very nice Meriton Apartments and went to meet a friend who'd driven down from Noosa to attend the show. After a few beers we enjoyed the evening's pleasant, mild and rainy weather while making our way to the Old Museum in Brisbane's CBD. Friday night's lively crowd at the Flying Saucer Club in Melbourne made me hopeful for a similarly boisterous crowd at the Old Museum on a Saturday.

Asa Broomhall

Opening for Jake was local singer-songwriter Asa Broomhall. He came on at 8:35 and played a 35-minute set that included a superb cover of Springsteen's ‘One Step Up’ from 1987's ‘Tunnel of Love’ album. Asa said, "It’s the right time to play with Jake here" and I could not have agreed more.

Jake, drummer Matt Musty and keyboardist Brett Mayer took the stage at 9:40. Jake introduced himself by saying "Good evening, Brisbane. This is my first time here playing my solo work." As they started their first number I was struck by the contrast to the previous night's crowd in Melbourne. (I counted exactly 69 people inside the Old Museum.) Whereas all Melbourne shows had been rowdy and fun, this minuscule Brisbane crowd, with the exception of a handful of people, was in fact shockingly dull.

Matt and Jake.

Jake and the boys played a predictably great set that included 'Song For Hope' and 'You Must Be Crazy' off his 2013 Embracing Light EP. For 'Overshadowed' off his 2011 It's On EP Jake tried to engage with the small, quiet crowd. As he had at all three Melbourne concerts, Jake encouraged everyone to mimic the sound of a train with a "stomp of the foot and clap of the hands". Another highlight was a beautiful cover of Ryan Adams's ‘Two’, which is one of the finest covers of a song I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. Throughout the night Jake demonstrated his musical virtuosity by switching effortlessly from acoustic guitar to saxophone to keyboards. The show finished just before 11:00 with a beautiful ballad called ‘Carry Me Through’ that featured Brett and Matt singing verses beside Jake without instruments.

Being the kind soul that he is, Jake once again hung around and engaged with all of the 69 people in attendance that chose to remain and meet him. What has really impressed me with Jake is that he has provided all of his fans with his time, grace and humility. What really unimpressed me about the Brisbane show was the low level of support for Jake Clemons. The Old Museum is a terrific venue: indoors, climate-controlled and historically important. In a city of two million, where was the turnout? I was later advised by a local that the small crowd was the result of it being a "Saturday night and it was raining".

I steadfastly refute that reason.

A number of years ago a former Queensland Premier advised the Australian public that "they breed them tough north of the border" (in reference to being north of NSW). I would like to suggest that the Premier forgot to say that they also breed the vast majority of them dull north of the border. To all Queenslanders who were at the Springsteen shows in 2013 and 2014 and cheered on Jake Clemons during ‘Tenth Avenue Freeze Out’ and all of his standout sax solos, do yourselves a favour: Have a listen to Embracing Light and start Embracing Life. And when Jake Clemons is an international star in his own right don’t be surprised and get the shits with him for not touring your city.