TIME MACHINE
It is Friday night, August 22nd, and Jon Brion is about to turn Largo into a pop music history classroom. After an inspired and energetic set of originals and covers, including varyingly faithful renditions of songs by Scott Joplin, Cheap Trick, Henry Mancini, The Beatles, and Gilbert O'Sullivan, Jon takes a request to play his favorite '20s song(s)... "It's Only a Paper Moon" followed by Cole Porter's "Night and Day" followed by the Gershwins' "Someone to Watch Over Me." Jon then declares that he will continue to get publicly drunk and see where that takes him. Already through the '20s, Jon decides to continue through every decade until he hits the present. An hour or so later, Jon Brion has systematically covered almost an entire century of popular music, including Benny Goodman, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Devo, Madonna, Nirvana, and Britney Spears. Upon finishing his lesson, Jon gives a politely grateful bow and exits the stage, leaving the audience almost motionless and, dare I say it, schooled.
- JAKE POSNER
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