Randy Jackson, the lead singer of the influential rock band Zebra, will perform an acoustic show in Bayfield on Saturday, Nov. 12.
He played at the Bayfield Performing Arts Center in September of 2015, when Zebra was promoting its 40th anniversary. It's one of the few rock bands that has had the same members for that long, he noted. In addition to playing with band members Guy Gelso and Felix Hanemann, Jackson has evolved on other musical fronts. In 2015, he released "Empathy for the Walrus," a CD of Beatles songs produced last year on Red River Records to commemorate 40 years of Beatles music.
At last year's show, he performed an eclectic mix of the Beatles covers, Led Zeppelin, Elton John and Zebra tunes.
Displaying virtuoso guitar work, Jackson played for well over two hours, then joked that the show would last until midnight. He then retorted he didn't have enough music. Jackson does have an extensive song catalog. He was at his best while singing Beatles songs or his own pieces he recorded with Zebra.
Over the past 40 years, Zebra has released four studio albums, a live album, and a best-of compilation. The 1983 debut release, "Zebra," went gold and was the fastest-selling debut album ever for Atlantic Records.
While he still has the long hair and clothes of a rock star, there's no denying this is an older, wiser singer, not a rocking 20-something. He chugged an entire energy drink as he came onto the stage, then lit into his pieces.
Two Zebra songs were touching, "Lullaby," about the death of a friend, from "No Tellin' Lies," a Zebra album from 1984.
"You packed your bags and left us,
Here's a lullaby so you'll sleep tonight."
Another song, "The Angel's Calling," was recorded for a friend who had cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes, but he survived.
"He's still surviving," he joked.
After the show, he met with fans to sign photographs, old albums and posters.
