Photos: The Jayhawks make joyful noise at Palace Theatre

The Jayhawks performing with Golden Smog at Palace Theatre in St. Paul on Saturday, Dec. 16.Steve Cohen for MPR

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December 18, 2023

The Jayhawks put on a memorable, career-spanning performance in St. Paul on Saturday evening. Jayhawks singer and lead guitarist Gary Louris led the way for nearly the whole night, as he was also fronting local rock supergroup Golden Smog to warm up the evening. The Palace Theatre stage was decked with enormous holiday trees, as well as a cutout of Will Ferrell’s Elf character.

In addition to Louris, the Smog lineup featured Kraig Johnson and Dan Murphy on guitar, Marc Perlman on bass, and Steve Gorman on drums. Special guests during their set included Ava Levy on “Looking Forward to Seeing You,” and Tim O’Reagan for “Glad & Sorry.” The band paid tribute to Shane MacGowan with a cover of the Pogues’ “Dirty Old Town.”

For the Jayhawks’ portion of the evening, Perlman and Johnson rejoined Louris, along with O’Reagan on drums and Karen Grotberg on keys. They reached back into their stellar catalog for a lengthy and lively set, and dropped in a few holiday-themed covers.

The Jayhawks and Golden Smog