A mix of old hits and newer material made for a stellar night with the eclectic Brit.

Someone recently asked me about “the best” concert I’d ever seen, which is a tall order after 50+ years as a live-music enthusiast. But one of the most memorable happened in 1989 when I was living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I was walking up Broadway and noticed “Joe Jackson” on the marquee of the legendary Beacon Theatre. A hand-lettered sign in the box-office window read, “Standing Room Only,” and the show was about to begin.

Broke as I was at the time, I couldn’t resist and didn’t regret it as Jackson and his 11-piece “Blaze of Glory” band put on a barnburner of a show. A full horn section really filled out Jackson’s already impressive repertoire, and I walked out of there feeling like I’d seen something truly special.

Since his hit-packed debut album “Look Sharp!” came out in 1979, Jackson has morphed from a New Wave star to a musical chameleon who’s dabbled in everything from classical to jazz, Latin pop and some stuff that’s tough to classify.

At the show I saw in Denver June 6 at the Paramount, he rolled it all out in a two-hour performance that left the packed house in awe. Now 71, Jackson’s voice is as pure and strong as ever, along with his mastery of the keys. No horn section, but his stellar band included his original bassist Graham Maby, guitarist Teddy Kumpel, drummer Doug Yowell and percussionist Felipe Fournier.

My concert buddy Matt and I were both curious to see what Jackson would do for a setlist. Twenty-two studio albums offer a lot to draw from, and with such a diverse range of styles over the years we wondered where he’d land. As it turned out, he put together an evening of music that perfectly encompassed the hits from the ’70s and ’80s many were there to hear along with lesser-known songs from his more recent albums like 2019’s Fool and his latest return to rock, 2026’s Hope and Fury.

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Joe Jackson and his band performing ‘Sunday Papers’ at the Paramount in Denver June 6. | Photo: Matt Farr

Starting solo

Jackson got the crowd on board early, kicking off the show by himself with a stripped-down version of his early hit “Is She Really Going Out with Him?” He was then joined by Maby for “It’s Different for Girls” from his second record, I’m the Man. The material from his own youth may have sounded a little awkward coming from a man of his age, but he sang them with the conviction of an artist well at ease with his decades-long legacy.

Once joined by the full band, the night really took off with an 18-song set drawing heavily from his newer works peppered with the older material. He spent time before several of the songs telling the audience about them, with an extended spiel about “End of the Pier” from Hope and Fury. Back in the early 20^th century, he explained, many of England’s seaside towns had “pleasure piers” where people would gather to hear corny musical acts and other entertainment at the end of the pier.

A bit wistfully, Jackson described it as a time when people worked hard but found time to come together to laugh, dance and enjoy each other’s company — something, he said, we seem to have lost in the modern age.

Powerful ending

A few other standouts for those familiar with Jackson’s earlier work included “Real Men,” “Be My Number Two,” “Sunday Papers” and “Another World.” After “End of the Pier,” the band kicked into high gear with a pair of songs from 1982’s Night and Day album — “Target” and “Steppin’ Out.” These featured the percussion section heavily, with Fournier really turning it up to reproduce the Latin beats of “Target” and Jackson steering the band smoothly into the familiar piano intro to “Steppin’ Out.”

For an encore, Jackson chose a fun cover of Bowie’s “Scary Monsters” followed by another biggie from the past, “You Can’t Get What You Want” from 1984’s Body and Soul. As with the top of the show, Jackson left the last song for himself as the band exited the stage. This was the touching lament “Home Town” from 1986’s Big World. In it, the singer waxes nostalgic for his hometown of Portsmouth, England from the point of view of a city dweller longing for the simpler days of his youth.

For a singer known more for his sardonic views of love, life and the modern world, it was an inspired choice to end the evening. Whitehaired, wearing a jacket and pocket square and suffering a bit from the altitude, Jackson reminded us how age causes us to reflect on the past — savoring charms perhaps painted over by memory with the recognition that there’s no going back.

There is, however, plenty ahead for the band. The Hope and Fury tour is scheduled to land in 14 countries with more than 80 shows through the end of the year. Walking out into the breezy June night, I thought back to that hand-lettered sign at the Beacon nearly 40 years ago. Different lineup, different decade, but the same artist still finding new ways to surprise.

Joe Jackson played something old, something new at his show June 6 at the Parmount in Denver. | Photo: Matt Farr