Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne enchants fans in Santa Rosa

When veteran singer-songwriter Jackson Browne goes out on a concert tour, he doesn’t have to worry about warming up the crowd. With a fan following as large and loyal as his, all he has to do is pick up where he left off.

The sold-out crowd of 1,650 at Browne’s Sunday night solo acoustic show at Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center for the Arts was with him from the moment he walked onstage, recognizing and applauding each song from just the first few notes.

“I’m glad to be back in Santa Rosa,” he said, and it didn’t matter that it was his first show at the Luther Burbank Center in five years. Fans immediately shouted out the titles of the songs they wanted to hear, and threw in some compliments.

“I’ve loved you for 40 years!” one woman yelled, and Browne, as trim and soft-spoken as ever, smiled shyly and faked an old man’s walk for a few steps. But if, at age 67, his singing voice sounded a little husky every once in a while or he had to correct an imperfectly remembered line, no one seemed to mind.

Early in the show, he shied away from calls to play some of his most famous hits, including “The Pretender,” but he did take a request to play “Bright Baby Blues,” picking out some bluesy guitar riffs.

Dividing his time between the piano and his row of 20 guitars lined up at the back of the stage, Browne favored some serious songs from his 1974 album “Late for the Sky,” including the title tune, as well as “Before the Deluge” and “Fountain of Sorrow.”

His performance of his penetrating lament about the evils of war, “Lives in the Balance,” was especially moving.

Susan Bjork, 61, of Windsor said she’d been to a half-dozen of Browne’s concerts over the years.

“His music has expressed my feelings - exactly what I felt - at different times in my life,” she said.

Rebecca Hennessy, 43, drove up from Alamo in Contra Costa County with her 11-year-old son Jack to see Browne’s show.

“My dad started me on Jackson Browne,” she said, “and I’ve been listening to him all my life. His lyrics are amazing and his tunes are simple, but his songs say so much.”

Browne, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, has performed nationally and internationally, but remains a particular favorite in his home state, including Northern California venues. His Sunday show was his fourth at the Luther Burbank Center. He also appeared at the BottleRock festival in Napa in 2013.

Inducted into the Rock and Hall of Fame by Bruce Springsteen in 2004, Browne continues to tour widely. From Sonoma County, his tour moves on to play Tuesday in Redding and Wednesday in Turlock, with dates stretching all over the country, to the East Coast and back, into late September.

Browne’s current solo tour follows his tour with his band last year throughout Europe, Asia and North America in support of his 14th studio album, “Standing in the Breach.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.