Concert Review: James Taylor – Nashville, TN – July 12, 2012

12 years ago Liv Carter 2

I have a hypothesis. It goes that there could be a simple solution to many of the world’s problems. If we could gather all world leaders together at a James Taylor concert surely world peace would be mere moments away. Such seems to be the power of his voice, his songs, and his performance. More than just with music, he fills the room with love; a love for these songs, a love for entertaining, a love for his fans, and a love for life.

Last Thursday night, James Taylor and his extraordinary band transformed a full Bridgestone Arena into an intimate listening room, with his audience luxuriating in the warmth of his voice, and his personality. The first set kicked off with ‘Hey Mister, That’s Me up on the Jukebox,’ accompanied by Taylor’s remark that “this was the first farewell-to-the-music-business song – I’ve made a career out of those!” The first half included classics ‘Handy Man,’ ‘Fire and Rain,’ and ‘Sweet Baby James’ and closed with the, in his own words, “meaning-free”, ‘Sun on the Moon.’

Demonstrating why he has built up such a loyal following over four decades now, Taylor spent the intermission chatting with the fans on the floor. More surprises opened the second set: ‘One Man Parade,’ ‘Lighthouse,’ and ‘Anywhere like Heaven.’ Many funny stories, classic tunes, and even an impromptu Elvis impersonation, followed before the uplifting closing with ‘Shower the People’ and ‘How Sweet It Is.’ A triple encore ended the two-and-a-half-hour performance with Taylor, his four vocalists, and a gorgeous five-part harmony on ‘You Can Close Your Eyes.’

A big shoutout needs to go to the extraordinary band. The talent of each of these musicians is, indeed, truly extraordinary. From Dean Parks’ steel to Luiz Conte’s latin percussion, these players do not just back up but enhance Taylor’s central performance. The voices of vocalists Kate Markowitz, David Lasley, Jim Gilstrap and Andrea Zonn (also on violin) combine into ethereal harmonies with Taylor’s, and the opening harmony of ‘Carolina in My Mind’ was so intensely perfect you could feel the effect rippling through the audience (and with that I extend a warm thank-you to the sound crew, who achieved something – here comes that word again – extraordinary and made the Bridgestone sound like the Bluebird Café).

44 years after the release of his debut album, there is still no stopping James Taylor. His guitar playing is unparalleled and his voice would probably be classed as a mind-altering substance if the FDA looked into it. Taylor, truly peerless, continues to provide the perfect way to spend a summer evening.

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Check out some photos below. You can find many more on the UCN facebook page.

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Set list:

Pt 1:
Hey Mister, That’s Me up on the Jukebox
That’s Why I’m Here
Carolina in My Mind
Country Road
The Frozen Man
Handy Man
Little More Time with You
Steamroller Blues
Slap Leather
Sweet Baby James
Fire and Rain
Sun on the Moon

Pt 2:
One Man Parade
Lighthouse
Anywhere like Heaven
(I’m a) Road Runner
Mexico
Another Day
Secret o’ Life
Your Smiling Face
Shower the People
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)

Encores:
You’ve Got a Friend
The Twist
You Can Close Your Eyes

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Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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