Show Review: James Taylor – Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA – May 27, 2011

13 years ago Liv Carter 22

James Taylor and his Legendary Band – Chastain Park Amphitheater, Atlanta, GA – May 28, 2011

How do I write this review without using every superlative my thesaurus can throw at me? Amazing, wonderful, blissful, paradisiacal…?

Alongside a summer tour with his son Ben, James Taylor is also playing dates with his Legendary Band. The first of two sold-out nights at Chastain Park Amphitheater saw a very diverse group of people pack up some food and a few bottles of wine, ready for some timeless music. While the crowd, which included former President Jimmy Carter, was largely made up of baby-boomers (or older), I saw plenty of under-12s which was really great to see.

After kicking off the first set with the Buddy Holly cover ‘Everyday’, Taylor took lots of time to tell stories in between songs. We heard about the origin of ‘Line ’em Up’ which included funny references to Richard Nixon and about how he has tried to take ‘Angry Blues’ out of the set but ran into resistance from his band. He promptly changed one of the ‘I can’t help it if I don’t feel so good’ lines to ‘I can’t help it if I don’t like this song’. Then there was the story I never get tired of hearing; how ‘Something in the Way She Moves’ was the song which got him signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records label and how it is one of the first songs he ever wrote. Seeing as I consider this to be one of the best written songs in the history of music, that fact never ceases to astonish me!

The crowd deserves special mention. Because of a poor decision regarding placement of some of the concession stands, a pedestrian traffic jam developed during the intermission. Most big shows I attended, this would have been cause for people to push and shove when the band returned to the stage. Not so here. Everyone just calmly waited for things to work themselves out while we were treated to a stunning rendition of ‘Georgia on My Mind’ by one of the back-up singers to announce the start of the second half. This mellow crowd was not going to let anything or anyone steal their joy.

The second set was also opened with a cover: Leadbelly‘s ‘When I Was a Cowboy’. Crowd interaction was upped further including increasingly funny and cute responses to the many I love you’s shouted out from the audience. Following classics ‘Sweet Baby James’ and ‘Fire and Rain’, and with the food and wine consumed, much of the audience was on its feet dancing to ‘Mexico’. The energy had been carefully and masterfully built up throughout the evening and it culminated in a exuberant rendition of ‘How Sweet it Is to Be Loved by You’. ‘Shower the People’ and a delicate and beautiful ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’ closed out a truly terrific concert.

For someone who has been playing some of these songs for over four decades (an astonishing feat in itself!), it’s incredible how much energy and humor Taylor brings to the stage. Jumping around to the groove or having the whole place in laughter were regular occurrences throughout the night.

I wish I could bottle the feeling I had that night so I could take a sip every now and then! Two things were confirmed that night: that Taylor is really and truly peerless, and that there is absolutely nothing better on a warm spring evening than sitting under a clear, star-filled sky listening to James Taylor play.

Check out these links to see videos and pictures.

Set list:
Everyday
Something in the Way She Moves
Walking Man
Your Smiling Face
Line ’em Up
Angry Blues
My Traveling Star
Carolina in My Mind
Up on the Roof
Country Road
—-
When I Was a Cowboy
Jump Up Behind Me
Copperline
Got to Stop Thinking About That
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
Steamroller
Sweet Baby James
Fire and Rain
Mexico
Shed a Little Light
How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You
—-
Shower the People
You Can Close Your Eyes

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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