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The Washington Post (Daily/800,000) Dated June 28, 2003

The Jayhawks: Up, Up and Away at 9:30

Saturday, June 28, 2003; Page C09

It's always refreshing, but hardly a given, to hear a rock singer whose
crooning sounds as on-key live as it does in the studio. But it's truly
a delight to hear a band that can sustain beautiful, shining harmonies
over nearly two hours, which is what the Jayhawks did in a confident,
flawless show at the 9:30 club Thursday night.

In a set that relied heavily on their magnificently melancholy new
album, "Rainy Day Music," the interlocking vocals of singer-guitarist
Gary Louris and drummer Tim O'Reagan -- supplemented at times by other
band members -- sounded so rich you sometimes wondered if a small choir
was hidden somewhere offstage. The effect gave already bright folk-rock
songs like "Stumbling Through the Dark," "Save It for a Rainy Day" and
"Angelyne" a soaring, joyous quality.

The Jayhawks also showed a nice versatility. They were as comfortable
with folky acoustic songs like "Tampa to Tulsa" and a delicate cover of
"Expecting to Fly" from Buffalo Springfield (which had an obvious
harmonic influence on the band) as they were playing electric rockers
like the swaying "Take Me With You (When You Go)," the poppy "I'm Gonna
Make You Love Me" and their one bona fide foot-tapping hit, "Waiting
for the Sun."

For nearly 20 years the Jayhawks have struggled to build a following
that matches their solid critical acclaim. On Thursday night there were
signs that "Rainy Day Music," which has won raves in places like
Rolling Stone, may finally be their breakthrough. The dense crowd Thursday
cheered through two long encores, and toward the end of the show,
Louris mumbled something that sounded like "this is the most people we've ever
had." An uplifting thought for an uplifting night.

-- Michael Crowley

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