Playing to a packed house last night at the Nissan Pavilion, the 53 year old singer /songwriter started his first set guitar in hand and backed by his talented band. Unfortunately, I missed the opening number due to long lines at the will call desk but as I walked to my seat under the pavilion, I heard echo’s of a song that I grew up listening to and a smile crossed my face. A comforting feeling rushed over me and I felt relaxed and at home.
The first set was a mix of a few James Taylor standards such as “”Mexico”” along with many songs from an up coming album. The crowd was fairly laid back, screaming out names of standard tunes they would like to hear next. In his typically playful manner he even held up the play list to let everyone know the order in which their favorite songs would appear.
Then he proceeded to tell everyone the unusual inspiration behind the creation of the song “”The Frozen Man””. Apparently he became inspired by a story he was reading in the National Geographic magazine about an expedition to the arctic whose remains were discovered and photographed for the magazine. Joking around about taking a 20 minute break for a corn dog run, James and his band closed out the first set with “”Steamroller””.At the start of the second set James entered the stage alone with his guitar and began to play an acoustic version of my favorite song “”Carolina In My Mind””. He was soon joined by the rest of the band to finish out the show with such classic hits as “”You’ve Got a Friend””, “”How Sweet It Is””, “”Fire and Rain””, and “”Shower The People””.James Taylor is an amazing musician whose live performance is captivating and playful with a hint of nostalgia for those of us who can recall a specific moment in our lives whenever we hear one of his melodies.If you haven’t seen him perform live do so and soon!JAMES TAYLOR TOUR DATES as of 4/3/011-Jun W. Palm Beach, FL Mars Music Amphitheater
2-Jun Tampa, FL Ice Palace
4-Jun Atlanta, GA Chastain Park
5-Jun Atlanta, GA Chastain Park
8-Jun Charlotte, NC Blockbuster Pavillion
9-Jun Raleigh, NC Alltel Pavillion
11-Jun Baltimore, MD Merriweather Post
12-Jun Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Virginia Beach
14-Jun New York, NY Theatre at Madison Square Garden
15-Jun New York, NY Theatre at Madison Square Garden
17-Jun Bristow, VA Nissan Pavillion
29-Jun Boston, MA Tweeter Center
30-Jun Boston, MA Tweeter Center
3-Jul Lennox, MA Tanglewood
4-Jul Lennox, MA Tangelwood
6-Jul Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
7-Jul Holmdel, NJ PNC Arts Center
8-Jul Saratoga, NY SPAC
11-Jul Hershey, PA Hershey Stadium
13-Jul Jones Beach, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre
14-Jul Jones Beach, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre
20-Jul Camden, NJ Tweeter Center
21-Jul Darien Lake, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
23-Jul Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Center (Pine Knob)
24-Jul Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
26-Jul Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavillion
28-Jul Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre
29-Jul Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
31-Jul Cininnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
1-Aug Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center (Deer Creek)
3-Aug Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
4-Aug Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre