Jade Jackson, Vandoliers and Joshua Ray Walker @ The Echo
by Chambo on 6/18/23The Echo - Los AngelesJade Jackson played a 7-song solo set with an acoustic guitar from 8:03 to 8:32. Kudos to her and The Echo as the sound was pristine! Jade was personable and authentic. I was not familiar with her music at all, so she was a pleasant surprise as I stood near the stage in rapt attention. Vandoliers played a rocking 8-song set from 8:50 to 9:20. This was way too short as I had seen them do a 1-hour set in 2021. Lead vocalist Joshua Fleming stated they were playing their most popular and hardest rocking songs since they had a limited time on stage. The six-man band has a horn player, violin/fiddler in addition to lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and drums. Joshua Ray Walker had 3 backing musicians, pedal steel guitar, drums and bass while he played guitar. Joshua is a big man, so he had to play while sitting down. I found this band to be a huge letdown after the exuberant show the Vandoliers put on. I was not familiar with Joshua's music and I did not feel it after the first 4 songs so I left the venue. Admittedly I was there to see the Vandoliers and while I understand that Joshua is more popular than the Vandoliers, it was a pity that Vandoliers weren't the headliners. However, this worked in my favor since I got home at a very reasonable hour. This was my first visit to The Echo and I enjoyed it. I prefer standing for GA shows so I can be as close to the stage as I want. The venue also had some seats around the edge of the floor so I was able to rest for a little while. Parking was conveniently close by and only cost $2. I would be happy to see another show there in the future. The employees were friendly and easy to deal with.