Loud, loud, loud, loud, loud, loud, loud, loud. I've seen Jesse before in Vancouver at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Great concert there, as was this one. A consummate performer with class, style, grace, and poise. He can tell a good yarn, and had some great supporting band members, each outstanding performers in their own right. That's what made this concert a 10 out of 10 performance for me and my three friends. Unfortunately, and we all agreed, the Clarke Theatre, Mission is sound system is crap. The vibration was felt through the balcony wall. My readings on my iphone were ranging from 96 to 114 decibels; that's a chainsaw sound like a sewing machine. Maybe the sound system was broken; maybe the sound tech has tinnitus, or other problems I'm unaware of. I don't know. I do know that something was right in La La Land.
I've been to concerts, plays, speaking engagements, ballets and operas at both The Queen E and the Orpheum Theatre (purportedly the best acoustics in BC), as well as Roy Thomson Hall (best in Ontario). I've had over 50 visits to these three venues, and the Clarke Theatre doesn't even come close to having a reasonable, and pleasurable, music concert sound system experience. As for Jesse Cooke, I would see him a 1000 times. His reputation precedes him. He plays with dynamic relaxation in his face. His music and current band members makes me think of: Flamenco, Jazz, Light Rock, Easy Listening, and the bands of Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Shooglenifty, and and Bruce Cockburn.