HOWARD JONES in concert; Kingsbury Hall, Monday evening, Oct. 2; one performance only.
Like many of his fans, Howard Jones — and his music — have grown up. To most, Howard Jones was a pop icon of the '80s who hit it big, started a new wave trend and then kind of faded away. However, the show at Kingsbury Hall on Monday proved that he is anything but "just a classic."
Abandoning the trademark synthesized sound of his early hits, Jones came to the stage armed only with a keyboard — set to piano and electric piano sounds) — and an acoustic-guitar player. But the music they created with only two instruments was far more sophisticated than a lot of what he had done with an entire band — or a bank of synthesizers.
Jones started the concert with some songs from his newer albums, including "Let the People Have Their Say" and "Collective Heartbeat." Although the rhythms and harmonies were notably more complex and interesting, Jones still hasn't lost his knack for a good lyric melody and an upbeat message — or good stage presence, either.
Sometimes he abandoned the keyboard altogether for a straight vocal and guitar duo, which at times approached a contemporary folk flavor. However, the complexity in the rhythm and his distinct rock/pop style kept it from getting too close. When he did play the keyboard (which was most of the time), he proved himself to be surprisingly good.
About halfway through the program, Jones went on to do some of his older, better-known songs, such as "Everlasting Love," "Things Can Only Get Better" and "Don't Try to Live Your Life in One Day." While the songs were familiar, his versions were anything but the same, and the remakes were significantly better than the original versions. "I'd Like to Get to Know You Well" had a fun Sting-like flavor to it, and he left the singing of "No One is to Blame" to the audience while he sang backup vocals.
It's obvious that Jones has really matured as an artist as the updated versions of his classic songs reflect maturity and sophistication.
E-mail: rcline@desnews.com