justin tyler show in croke gets a suprise guest

The show had been built around Justin, his acoustic guitar, and a collection of songs stripped down to their essentials. No backing band, no elaborate production, and no electric guitars. Just Justin, a microphone, and a room full of people.

Halfway through the set, Justin took a moment to speak to the crowd.

"Before I play this next one, I want to talk about some friends of mine. Some of you might have been at the Trio show last night. If you were, first of all, I hope your ears have recovered."

The crowd laughed.

"Those three guys are some of my favourite people to make music with. I first met them in Los Angeles. They were opening for me at a gig, and I remember watching them from the side of the stage thinking, 'These guys are pretty good. Annoyingly good, actually.'"

He paused, smiling.

"We got talking afterwards, started hanging out, and somewhere along the way we became really close friends. We've made a lot of music together since then. Some of it was planned, some of it absolutely wasn't."

Justin went on to mention Skylines, the song he had recorded with Trio during their time working together.

"Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Maybe we'll do Skylines tonight. And I would love to. It's a great song, and I love what those guys brought to it. But there's one problem."

He looked down at his acoustic guitar.

"I'd have to bring out a whole band, and I'm not doing that. This is an acoustic tour. I promised you an acoustic show, and I'm not about to start breaking promises just because I miss having a drummer."

The audience laughed and applauded.

"But there is another song. One that has a pretty good story behind it."

"Spiral" – A Surprise Reunion

Justin explained that while he was in Austin, Texas, recording and working on music, he had reunited with Trio backstage at a show. The group had spent some time playing around with Spiral, eventually recording a duet version together.

"We were backstage in Austin, and I think we were supposed to be doing something much more productive," Justin joked. "But instead, we ended up recording this song together. That's generally how things go when those three are around."

He continued:

"I actually really love that version. It has a different feeling from the original. And I thought, since I'm here in Ireland, and since I know one of those idiots is somewhere nearby, maybe we should do it properly."

Justin glanced toward the side of the stage.

"Please welcome my good friend, Jason Blackstone."

Jason walked onto the stage to a loud reaction from the audience. He shook Justin's hand, gave him a quick hug, and sat down at the piano positioned behind the microphone.

"Look at this," Justin said, turning toward the crowd. "I said I wasn't bringing out a band, and now I've got a piano player. This is how it starts."

Jason laughed.

"Just one song," Jason replied.

"That's what they all say."

The two exchanged a few words before Justin settled into his chair, adjusted his guitar, and began playing the opening chords of Spiral.

The performance

The arrangement was deliberately simple. Justin carried the song on acoustic guitar, keeping the rhythm gentle and steady. Jason's piano entered gradually, adding soft chords beneath the verses before opening up into a fuller sound during the chorus.

Justin sang the opening verse alone, his delivery quieter and more reflective than the version recorded with Trio. Jason waited until the first chorus before joining him, adding harmony while continuing to play.

By the second verse, the audience had settled into the performance. The combination of Justin's acoustic guitar and Jason's piano gave Spiral a different character: less like a full-band alternative rock track and more like a late-night conversation between two old friends.

When the chorus returned, Jason took a more prominent vocal part. Their voices blended naturally, occasionally overlapping as the arrangement grew. Justin looked over at Jason during one of the longer piano passages and smiled, clearly enjoying the moment.

The final chorus was the biggest part of the performance. Jason's piano became more expressive, while Justin pushed his vocals slightly harder. Then, rather than ending with a dramatic finish, the two brought the song back down.

Justin played the final chord and let it ring.

Jason lifted his hands from the keys.

For a brief moment, neither spoke. The audience responded with a standing ovation and a loud round of applause.

After the song

Justin leaned toward the microphone.

"That was Jason Blackstone, everybody. One-third of Trio, and apparently one hundred percent of my problems when we're in a recording studio."

Jason shook his head, laughing.

Justin turned toward him.

"Seriously, mate. Thanks for coming out."

Jason replied, "Thanks for having me. I was told there would be no band."

"There wasn't. You brought your own piano."

The crowd laughed again.

Justin then told the audience how much he appreciated the friendship he had built with the band, saying that some of his favourite musical memories had come from working with them. He also joked that he had a feeling the other two members of Trio would be asking why they hadn't been invited.

"I'm sure Scott and Dom are going to have something to say about this tomorrow. They'll probably claim they could've played it better."

Jason smiled.

"They probably will."

Justin finished the moment by thanking the Irish audience and giving Jason another hug before Jason left the stage.

"One more time for Jason Blackstone!"

The applause followed him offstage