Words & Images by: Phil Santala

Jerry Joseph & Wally Ingram :: 12.12.10 :: The State Room :: Salt Lake City, UT

Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons begin a three-night run in Portland, OR tonight. Amazing, under-sung American rock greats Richmond Fontaine open for the Jackmormons on NYE. For full show details pop over here.

Jerry Joseph by Phil Santala

What ever you do, don’t call it a comeback or anything new. Jerry Joseph has been absolutely on fire the last few years. Not matter who he is touring with – the Jackmormons, Denmark Veseys, Stockholm Syndrome, or just with percussionist Wally Ingram – his shows, as of late, almost never cease to amaze me. The State Room show in Utah was no exception.

Bold words considering this summer saw me walking away from three nights in Virginia City, MT at Bandito’s shaking my head in wonderment. That run itself just gets better and betterÂ…but enough about the past. We gathered in Salt Lake City, one of Jerry’s former residencies, to partake in some pre-holidays shenanigans, Jerry Joseph Style.

Jerry came out, hulking onto the stage in big heavy boots. Some in the crowd responded by shouting, “Show us your feet!” It was clear that those in attendance were not just casual fans. The core had turned out for this event, and the duo did not disappoint. Jerry seemed to be in high spirits, joking to the crowd before “Wisconsin Death Trip” that, “Wally and I, when I was a kid, we used to sing this around the Christmas tree at Wally’s house, eating Christmas koogle.” Jerry also jested after the Vic Chestnutt song “Flirted With You All My Life” that the song was about “holidays and good times. You feeling any better?” Vic, he said, “fucking nailed it” with that song. The Christmas spirit was certainly making Jerry’s heart grow three times its size that day.

Local Jackmormons bassist JR Ruppel joined Jerry and Wally for much of the second half of the set. The encore, which was especially moving and heartfelt, found Joseph stepping out from the mike to shout and sing directly to the crowd: “Ring ‘em up, tell ‘em that you love ‘em. CALL THEM NOW AND TELL THEM THAT YOU LOVE THEM!” It was a plea, a call, a cry of passion. Hold on, hold onto those around you, those you care for, those you hurt and neglect through your selfishness, those that never left you in the dark on your own no matter how you tried to push them away and no matter how many times your vices came between you and them. Ring ‘em up, and tell them Jerry Joseph said hi. Better yet, why don’t you all come out to the next Jerry Joseph show and see what the buzz is really all about?

Setlist
White Dirt, Jump, LAX, Flirted With You All My Life, Fur, Cochise, Two Balloons> Time the Revelator> Two Balloons. Muscles*, Radio Cab*, Paper Planes*>Climb to Safety*(slow)> Train Detective rap> Midnight Rambler rap> Climb to Safety*> Paper Planes*

Encore: Ring ‘em Up*> Good Sunday*>We Fall Down*> Good Sunday*

*w/ JR Rupple.

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