So...I've been a fan of James Taylor for some time, but after Saturday's concert, my admiration for him has skyrocketed. For starters, anyone who can draw my entire family to the same concert has mad skillz. When my father expressed an interest in going with us, I almost dropped dead from shock. James Taylor - what a unifying force you are! The show was at the "Fox Theatre in ATL":http://www.foxtheatre.org/ ; it's a relatively small and intimate venue seating 4,678 people. There's not a bad seat in the house...which was lucky for me because cheapskate that I am, of course I ended up in the nosebleed section. I really love this venue; I'm a little ashamed to admit that I had never actually stepped foot inside the theatre prior to the concert. Before Saturday, I'd only been inside the ballroom area. Anyway, I can't believe it took me so long to go to a show there! It definitely won't be my last. The acoustics are great, though my impression here may have something to do with James Taylor's wonderful vocals. The man sounds EXACTLY like he did from his early records. There aren't many artists with that kind of longevity who can claim such vocal clarity. He was a joy to watch, and he performed every song I wanted to hear. I didn't get a complete set list, but here's a copy of one I found from his show last month in Chicago. It sounds very similar to the set I heard Saturday night:
Set 1Something In The Way She MovesNever Die YoungFrozen ManMean Old ManCountry RoadSlap LeatherTraveling StarYou've Got A FriendSteamroller
Set 2Secret O' LifeLine'em UpChili DogShower The PeopleSweet Baby JamesCarolina In My Mind
EncoreFire And RainCopperlineYou Can Close Your Eyes
One Man Band Tourw/ Larry Goldings on KeyboardsThe show reminded me of the VH1 Storytellers series but with more visuals. He had a projection screen where he would show various pictures of family, friends, and all sorts of seemingly random stuff, and he'd talk about how he came about writing certain songs. All of his stories were extremely entertaining; he's got a fantastic sense of humor. It was as if we were all spending the evening with an old friend. Even though he played for a couple of hours, it only seemed like a few moments. I think we all could have stayed much longer.And James Taylor is an accessible guy. I'm not just talking about him as an artist. During the intermission, Taylor came back on stage, signed autographs, and greeted fans. Pretty cool, I think. It's not everyday that you'll find a living legend doing that sort of thing.While it's true that I normally go to concerts that rock out a bit more, this one is right up there with my all-time favorites. At the risk of sounding like a total cheeseball, the whole experience was magical. I think I must have had a goofy grin on my face for nearly the entire show. So great.
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