On the cover of his double-album anthology, Any Way the Wind Blows, Cale stares off into space, a cowboy hat casting a shadow over both eyes. He wears a plain button-up work shirt, some facial hair, jeans and cowboy boots for the photo shoot. Five years later in New York, the man's presence seems much the same. The only visible changes during his two-hour set were his clean-shaved mug and casual dress for the road.

He almost didn't make it to New York, though, as one of his shows scheduled for Central Park was canceled because the headliner, John Hait, backed out. Cale, fortunately, had one other show set up for New Yorkers.

The intimacy of the venue fit Cale well. Stephen's Talkhouse – located in Amagansett, the last major town before Montauk – is only fifteen years old, but has an old-time mystique. It's also barely big enough for the hundred or so who made up the audience. Though it offered a cozy closeness to the stage, there were two major drawbacks to the place. First off, it is over two hours from Manhattan. So unless you can spend a day in the area (which is beautiful) it means a big haul. Price is the real issue. Tickets were 70 bucks a head, which is a hard pill to swallow for those who remember when all-day festivals cost half that. But let all this speak to the dedication of Cale's fans that made it out there.

J.J. Cale

The show had an "eat your vegetables first" construction to it. As Cale went through quick renditions of his biggest hits, songs that have been covered by notables such as Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd, to name just two. He explained how some of his songs were picked for advertisements by beer and pharmaceutical companies. This happened, of course, after they had been covered by Eric Clapton.

Cale stepped onto the Talkhouse stage while the house music was still running and tuned his guitar until the soundman mixed the music out. A beat-up soft leather case behind him, a South Carlsbad T-shirt and a baseball cap clipped to his waist all spoke to the informality of the show. Between songs Cale filled the space with some freehand strumming.

Traveling with several musicians, it wasn't until his first numbers were played that they joined him. Cale was obviously more comfortable with his band playing alongside him. A rhythm guitarist, a drummer on a partial drum set, a bassist, and a guy on harmonica accompanied him. The moment they joined in, he left the center-stage stool and stepped out of the spotlight.

This is not to say that performing amounts to pulling teeth for Cale, who has consciously avoided celebrity for decades. The crowd, mostly in their thirties and over, were treated to a jovial if aloof craftsman whose messages still rang true. "Slow down, keep your low-down," he instructed in his song "Ride Me High." And in "Doctor Told Me," he commanded everyone to "get yourself a life."

Most profound, however, was seeing the man credited with bringing the term "laid back" into common usage, singing "Call Me the Breeze."

This traveling man, with a foot up on an amp for much of the night, managed to mix business and pleasure on stage. Though listeners may have wished to see a more carefree Cale jazz out, that just isn't him. What you do get is the chance to see one of rock's great songwriters command his guitar to tell true stories.