When Tom Waits played the Tampa Theatre in the late-'70s — the last time he performed in the Bay area, the only time he headlined here (I'm pretty certain) — he was still kind of a curio, yet to become the cult legend that he is, a favorite of highbrow music buffs of all ages. I was there. He performed with a jazz trio, smoked cigs prodigiously, told smart-ass jokes and sang his blues/jazz-based tunes with swagger. At one point, he performed a ballad, each arm leaning on a Phillips 66 gas-pump prop — and then sprinkles of fake snow came down from the rafters. Magic. Laser light shows couldn't touch it. The closest Waits is coming to Tampa Bay on this tour is Jacksonville, about the closest he's been in a long time. Since that Tampa Theatre show, he's revamped his sound and become a surrealist troubadour, equally adept at tender ballads, spoken-word weird-outs, gutbucket soul and skronking stomp. He has about two-dozen vocal styles. I have no idea what a Waits show is like these days — don't want to; I'd rather be surprised — but you can pretty much count on a balance of humor, pathos, bizarreness and great musicianship. He's calling this jaunt the "Glitter and Doom Tour." Take from that what you may. By the way, we checked last week and tickets were available.
Tom Waits, 8 p.m., Tues., July 1, Moran Theater @ the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Jacksonville, $85, through Ticketmaster.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2008.