After a short acoustic set by British singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore, who
was joined by her husband/producer Nigel Stonier, Jackson took the stage
alone behind a Steinway grand piano and played some upper register chords
that resulted in "Solo (So Low)." The haunting ballad finished with
Jackson finally playing a chord below middle C, and as Maby and Houghton
took the stage, the show got cooking with "Steppin' Out," off of his
brilliant 1982 recording Night and Day.
Although the trio was limited at times without a guitarist in fold–Jackson
took note of the fact by saying "we've had enough of guitarists"–they
certainly were able to rock out at times.
Case in point was "Fools in Love," off of Look Sharp. The band ditched the
reggae feel from the studio version and played it as slow, low-down funk.
They took the jam outside for a bit before a smooth seque into The
Yardbirds tune, "For Your Love." Jackson, Maby and Houghton nailed the
vocal harmonies and the crowd ate it up.
Jackson kept going back to tracks from his new recording, Rain, with mixed
results. Many in the crowd wanted the hits, and they were rewarded with
"It's Different for Girls," "One More Time," and "Is She Really Going Out
With Him." The arrangements were well planned to accomodate the trio
setting, and you couldn't ask for a more reliable rhythm section than Maby
and Houghton. Although Houghton used an electronic drum kit so as not to
drown out that gorgeous Steinway sound, it was obviously a top-end one
with samples to sound like an acoustic trap set.
The big sing-along  came during the last tune, "Slow Song," off of Night
and Day. The band built the most tension of the evening before charging
into the last rousing chorus that had everyone on their feet, belting
along with Jackson.
A well played, inspiring show.

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