“I have a lot of songs to do — not because I’m prolific, but because I’m old.” So joked Gary Louris about 10 songs into his solo show in the Guthrie’s smaller theater last night. But he wasn’t kidding about the quantity: The former Jayhawks frontman wound up playing 26 songs over two hours. Surprisingly, only eight of them (less than a third for you mathematicians) were Jayhawks tunes. He didn’t even play “Waiting for the Sun.” Instead, he picked out a few little-played Golden Smog nuggets, two of his Dixie Chicks co-writes, the best of his new “Vagabonds” album, four brand new ones and assorted oddities.

The big surprise in the show wasn’t the so-called “cavalcade of stars” that Gary promised. Jim Boquist, Kraig Johnson (who, Gary mentioned, lives in New York now) and Marc Perlman all joined him at different times, resulting in some genuinely feel-good moments. The real shocker was the somewhat off-handed mention that there’s going to be a bona-fide Jayhawks reunion at a festival in Spain next month, featuring Mark Olson, Perlman, Tim O’Reagan and Karen Grotberg). It sounds like this is a one-time deal for now. But who knows? Here’s the setlist:

True Blue / Everybody Knows (Dixie Chicks) / Angelyne / Baby Let Me Take Care of You (Vagabonds bonus track) / So Long Lonesome & Blue (new) / Save It for a Rainy Day / Omaha Nights* / She Always Calls Me on Sundays* / DC  Blues* / Every Word (from Wordplay soundtrack) / Settled Down Like Rain / Big Star^ / Gone (Golden Smog) / Bitter End (Chicks)** / Won’t Be Coming Home** / Hyde Park (new) / Blue* / Magnolias* (new) / Vagabonds* / To Die a Happy Man / Tailspin

ENCORE: Listen Joe (Smog) / ?? (excellent new song) / Trouble** / All the Right Reasons** / Until You Came Along*^**

*w/Jim Boquist     ^w/Kraig Johnson    **w/Marc Perlman

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