Marin County’s Hopmonk Tavern hosted Jackie Greene and special guest Tim Flannery for two shows on Labor Day weekend as part of the venue’s impressive summertime Cookout Concert Series.
In the extended world of Grateful Dead connectivity, both Jackie Greene and Tim Flannery have earned worthy bona fides. The first time I ever heard of Greene was when he played a Phil & Friends gig in San Francisco almost twenty years ago. A tad more recently, Flannery joined Phil Lesh and Bob Weir to sing the National Anthem at a Giants game, and Weir also has performed on stage with Flannery and his band The Lunatic Fringe. Here at Grateful Web we like to note this sort of thing.
Of course, each of them are notable for more than their Shakedown Street cred. Greene has a distinguished solo career and he’s built a solid following in the Bay Area and beyond since the early aughts. A stint playing lead guitar in the Black Crowes a few years ago gave him some national exposure in the jam band world, and he’s shared stages with bands such as Gov’t Mule and Los Lobos.
At the Hopmonk, Greene was backed by his current touring band for a nearly two-hour set. Nathan Dale and Jeremy Plog played electric guitars, with many of the solos given to Plog. Greene alternated between acoustic and electric guitar, and also sat at a keyboard for a few songs. Jon Cornell played bass. TBH, I couldn’t find out (yet) who the drummer was.
The set included songs familiar to Greene’s fans and some covers with broad appeal. The covers included a few nods to the Deadheads, specifically Little Milton’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” – Jerry Garcia Band recorded and played this one regularly – and the Hunter-Garcia song “Loser.” The Rolling Stones’ “Loving Cup,” with Greene on keys, likewise resonated with the folks who had little acquaintance with Greene’s own compositions.
That being said, Greene certainly had hardcore fans in the house. Among those were some wee folks who held up signs that seemed suspiciously likely to have been crafted with assistance from their ardent parents. “Our 1st concert,” read one. Another said, “We ♥ Jackie.” A third sign held high by one of the newbies said, “Honey I’ve Been Thinkin About You” – which coincidentally just happens to be the name of Greene’s top song on Spotify. Although the hit wasn’t on the setlist, Greene and his band were happy to oblige. Who can say “no” to fans like these?
Later in the set, Greene invited show opener Flannery on stage for a few songs. Flannery played acoustic guitar and sang along with Greene on the latter’s original “Don’t Let The Devil Take Your Mind” and the Dead’s classic “Friend of the Devil.” When I pointed out to show producer KC Turner that both songs were about the devil, Turner joked that, “They’re the only Jackie songs Tim knows.”
Greene ended his set with the rollicking “Like a Ball and Chain,” always a fan fave. For an encore, he skipped the song written on his setlist and treated the crowd to “Mexican Girl.”
Earlier, Flannery played solo on acoustic guitar and harmonica to warm up the crowd. Flannery may be more familiar to many people as a baseball luminary, first as a player (he spent his entire career on the Padres) and later as a third base coach. Most of his accolades for baseball spring from his stint coaching for the Giants, during which time the team won three World Series championships.
More than a few baseball jerseys were in the house at Hopmonk on Sunday, including several with combinations of Giants and Grateful Dead imagery. The singer-songwriter regaled baseball and music fans alike with stories between his songs, some including name drops such as Barry Bonds and Jimmy Buffett. (Buffett, we were told, once greeted his friend Flannery at a restaurant with, “You look like an older version of Tim Flannery.”)
One of those stories hit a home run. Flannery told the crowd to go home and Google “Naked and Afraid in Novato.” (I second that suggestion, having just done so.) The culmination of the story, which you can read about online in the family-friendly San Francisco Chronicle, was Flannery greeting the Novato police dressed in nothing but a yoga mat. He told the Hopmonk crowd that recently, seeing he was booked locally, the local police sent him a t-shirt. “Just in case you’re comin’ to town.”
He sang some really good songs too, but it’s hard to top that story. So I’ll just leave it there.
