James Taylor at Tanglewood

July 6, 2015 Article by Dave Read

James Taylor’s concert at Tanglewood July 4, 2015 attracted another sell-out audience that packed the Koussevitsky Music Shed and temporarily converted the sweeping lawn area into the 2nd most populated town in the Berkshires! The Washington, MA resident, frequently misidentified as living in Lenox, was accompanied by the familiar cohort known as his All Star Band, plus wife Kim and son Henry. Everybody lucked out when the weather went from dreary and drizzly to bright and sunny in time for the show.

Mr. Taylor released a new album recently, Before This World, his first in 13 years and 17th studio recording overall, which spent a week at the top of the charts! Tonight’s show featured several songs from it – Angels of Fenway, Montana, and Today, Today, Today, each of which received an extra decibel of applause. Angels of Fenway relates his experience of the 2004 Boston Red Sox’ release from the “curse of the Bambino” when they overcame an 0-3 deficit to beat the New York Yankees for their first championship since selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920.

Beatles sign James Taylor to Apple records 1968

Introducing the other new songs, Taylor said that as is the case with so many of his songs, they too reference his 1968 Apple/Beatles bonanza, when, despite doubts and frustrations, he knew he was “the luckiest guy on the planet.” His demo had gotten the attention of Peter Asher, which led to an audition with the Beatles at the same time as when they were recording the White Album! Since then, he seems to have done all he could to justify that luck, producing a body of work that manifests his sense of gratitude.

Having attended many of the 24 concerts he has performed at Tanglewood, we can attest to his consistent generosity, toward both toward his fans in the audience and his fellow musicians on stage. He always answers a few shouts from the auidience during the set – “thank you, sir, love you, too” – “yup, we’re gonna do that one” holding up the setlist, which today ran to 25 songs, including 3 in the “encore” portion. While the band was offstage during the 20 minute intermission, James taylor stayed busy working the stage rim, signing autographs and mugging for cellphone snapshots.

• James Taylor at Tanglewood – July 4, 2015 setlist
• Wandering
• Secret Of Life
• Angels of Fenway
• Country Road
• Montana
• Me and My Guitar
• Fool to Care
• Carolina In My Mind
• Bartender’s Blues
• Smiling Face
• Fire and Rain
• Shed a Little Light
• Rio
• I Will Follow
• Whenever You’re Ready
• Steamroller
• Today, Today, Today
• Before this World
• Jolly Springtime
• Sweet Baby James
• Mexico
• How Sweet It Is
• Knock On Wood
• Sun On The Moon
• You and I

Article by Dave Read

As if the ghost of Paul Revere had gotten loose, with a mind to make mischief in the Berkshires, in the days and hours leading up to James Taylor’s 4th of July concert at Tanglewood, a quiet rumor rose to a dull roar that a British(er) were coming – to wit, Sir Paul McCartney would make a special guest appearance.

That would be a reunion of the former Beatle and the first artist signed to the beatles’ Apple records. The anicipation built and built during the concert, as Taylor made 3 or 4 references to his lucky days in London, where he auditioned for McCartney and George Harrison while the Beatles were at work on the White Album. In fact, he began the show with the very audition song Something in the Way She Moves! But it never happened, and I don’t think anybody was disappointed. (McCartney did made an appearance, via video, at Taylor’s 60th birthday celebration here six years ago.)

It was another sold-out Tanglewood gig for Taylor, who appeared fit as a fiddle after taking last year off from touring to concentrate on the latter part of the singer-songwriter job description. He performed one new song tonight that’ll appear on an album eventually – Today, Today, Today. The balance of his typically generous setlist was familiar, including: Handy Man, Fire and Rain, Up on the Roof, Sweet Baby James, You’ve Got a Friend, Buddy Holly’s Everyday. Over the course of the nearly three hour show (including encores), everybody in the band and vocal quartet got the spotlight. Michael Landau, Luis Conte, Walt Fowler, Andrea Zonn, Kate Markowitz, Arnold McCuller, David Lasley, Larry Goldings, Steve Gadd, Lou Marini, Jimmy Johnson. His wife Kim and son Henry joined the vocalists for a couple numbers, too.