James Taylor, Baby!

Wow. I’m driving away from the JT concert. I have never been to a concert this good. And I saw a smile on my sister’s face that I haven’t seen in years.

Great evening! More later, when I can type with all 10 fingers and not just thumbs.

Edited to add: Oh, my goodness, that was an incredible concert! JT is the consummate performer, and I will never again fail to attend any concert of his within driving distance. He was funny and gracious and shy, and his voice was INCREDIBLE.

At one point, he told about when he first heard Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” how it was the perfect anthem to friendship and he wanted to sing it, not just listen to her sing it night after night. Then he made a wry little comment about how he’d never dreamed he’d have to sing that song every night for the rest of his life. But when he sang the song, it was as heartfelt and soulful as the first time he sang it (surely!).

And man, oh, man that boy can rock! He was almost beat-boxing on “Steamroller Blues,” and he makes hysterical expressions with both his face and body. He got a standing ovation on his entrance, and another for all his big hits. Everyone was on their feet for pretty much the last 10 minutes, and he played three encores. I had the sense that the last one (and maybe the last two) were not planned. The backup singers looked a bit uncertain.

Some of the songs were startlingly fresh. My favorite was a powerful version of “Shed a Little Light.” It began with a unison duet, featuring JT and Arnold McCuller, singing, “Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King and recognize that there are ties between us .. that we are bound together in our desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and strong.” Speaking of “anthems”! Their voices were almost perfectly blended, but the “almost” made the difference between my being impressed and being moved to tears. In a metaphorical way, the “almost” pointed out that they were two people, not one, united only in spirit and purpose.

He also did a version of “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” from the musical Oklahoma!, which shouldn’t have worked but did. I’ve always loved the lyrics and meaning in that song, and I like the melody OK but it’s a bit schmaltzy for my taste. He managed to convert the song to pop, update the sound, and still keep the soaring joy of it. Apparently he has a new album coming out this fall called Covers. I really hope that song is on it.

Anyway, we had a great time. If you get a chance, go see the man if you like his music at all.

I wanted to post pictures, but I have forgotten to bring my camera cord home. Sorry!

Tags: concert, James Taylor, Review