While I like to attend concerts, the stadia, amphitheater, arena experience – in terms of accessing the facility and one’s seats – involves nothing easy. That said, the experience once inside borders on exhilaration, especially if you know and enjoy the music. One song tied together the concerts my daughter and I enjoyed last Wednesday and as this weekend started. I told my daughter I failed her when she told me she did not know Jackson Browne (primarily) wrote the song that gives today’s commentary its title. That comment occurred during the encore of the James Taylor-Jackson Browne bill at Jones Beach after James brought out Jackson to sing Take It Easy and noted Browne wrote the tune with the late Glenn Frey. The Eagles performed their hit version with Glenn’s son, Deacon handling the lead vocals as the second song in the second set of their Hotel California plus all the hits show Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. On the way home, I played the Browne version that appears on his LP, ‘For Everyman.”

Between the Browne and Taylor sets found Marisa and I discussing how many concerts I attended (500+) and the early concerts I brought her to; the very first took place at the Ritz over 28 year ago: Pete Fornatale’s Sunday Show 10th Anniversary: POCO’s Rusty Young & Paul Cotton, Dion, Tom Paxton, Richie Havens, Suzanne Vega, Peter Yarrow and Mary Travers.

Here are the sets:

Set 1: Hotel California LP

Hotel California

New Kid in Town

Life in the Fast Lane

Wasted Time

Wasted Time (Reprise)

Victim of Love

Pretty Maids All in a Row

Try and Love Again

The Last Resort 
9:12p

Set 2:

Seven Bridges Road (Steve Young cover)

Take It Easy

One of These Nights

Take It to the Limit

Tequila Sunrise

Witchy Woman

In the City (Joe Walsh song)

I Can't Tell You Why

Peaceful Easy Feeling

Love Will Keep Us Alive

Lyin' Eyes

Those Shoes

Walk Away (James Gang cover)

Life's Been Good (Joe Walsh song)

Already Gone

The Boys of Summer (Don Henley song)

Funk #49 (James Gang cover)

Heartache Tonight

Encore:

Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh song)

Desperado

The Long Run

Best of My Love

Jackson setlist

I’m Alive

The Long Way Around

Fountain of Sorrow

My Cleveland Heart

Downhill From Everywhere

Until Justice Is Real

Doctor My Eyes

Late for the Sky

The Pretender (with James Taylor)

Running on Empty (James Taylor sitting in)

James Taylor setlist :

Country Road

Never Die Young

Down on Copperline

That's Why I'm Here

Mexico

You Make It Easy

Line 'Em Up

Steamroller Blues

Easy as Rollin' Off a Log (Johnnie ‘Scat’ Davis cover)

Sweet Baby James

Fire and Rain

Carolina in My Mind

Shower the People

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

Encore:

Shed a Little Light

Take It Easy (with Jackson Browne)

You've Got a Friend

You Can Close Your Eyes (with Henry Taylor)