[This is the first of four posts of photos from a tour I went on with Jackson Browne’s band - Japan,Aus,NZ]

While my dad was sick in hospice care at home, we spent a lot of time watching the 2009 Japanese television show Midnight Diner. This got us talking about Japan, where he had traveled many times to play music on tour with Jackson Browne. When my brother was in middle school he got to go along with my dad on a Japan tour, but I never got the chance. He said Jackson was about to leave on a two month tour of Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. If he wasn’t sick he’d be going too. He suggested I ask Jackson if it were possible for me to go on the tour as a member of the crew. I reached out to Jackson but heard back from him a few days later, saying that he didn’t think it would be logistically possible at that point to add another person. It was a long shot anyways. I hadn’t gotten my hopes up.

The day my dad died, my family sat around his bed for a while after he took his last breaths. After an unbroken hour, I got a phone call. It was Jackson. My mom said I should answer it. I did. I told him that Dad had just passed, and he was the first to know. He said he just wanted to tell me that he spoke with his management and they said it would be possible for me to come on the tour with them. It was startling news to receive in such a moment.

There were three weeks between my dad’s death and the start of the tour. We held his memorial service at our house. Shortly after this, I packed up and left for the first leg of the tour, to spend two months around the people he toured with for 30 years.

Continued in Part 2