On Saturday night I had the great joy of seeing James Taylor and Carole King perform in their Troubadour Reunion Concert at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. This concert was inspired by a performance they did together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Troubadour in Los Angeles, where they had performed together in the early 70’s. Also playing with them at the anniversary concert were Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel. They enjoyed playing together again so much, they decided they had to take it on the road.
If you are a fan and you haven’t booked tickets, and the concert is coming anywhere near you -BOOK NOW! And make sure you buy the souvenir book too - it’s a fascinating record of the early years of their friendship and the story behind the tour.
This is the third time I have seen James Taylor perform 3 times, and every time I wish I could go back the next night and the next and the next… But, I have to say this time was the absolute best.
The first time I saw James Taylor perform was in Portland, Oregon, September 17th, 2001. I didn’t even want to go. Just a few days after the horrors of 9/11, I didn’t want to be anywhere that involved a large crowd. It probably sounds ridiculous now, but such was the state of fear and uncertainty I was feeling about the world at that time.
When James Taylor came on stage he thanked the members of his band for being there, because many of their families had not wanted them to travel. When he sang Fire and Rain, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the crowd. I’m always struck by the kindness in James Taylor’s face and his voice was so incredibly soothing, when he sang the line ‘Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground’ for the first time that week I was actually sobbing – a much needed release, as you can imagine.
The next time I saw him in concert was Feb 16th, 2005, at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. It was a much smaller venue and he had a smaller group, although I remember the divine Arnold McCuller was again singing backup. It was a wonderful, simple informal concert and we were kicking ourselves that we hadn’t paid for better seats.
So, when we heard he was coming to Melbourne again, with Carole King no less, we booked the best seats we could get and ended up with second row seats, right in the middle. And was it ever worth it! (I may have got a little carried away with my camera, and got told off by security for using my flash, even though I wasn’t – it was someone behind me.) They were just amazing on stage together.
Leland Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel are on the tour also, as well as the amazing Arnold McCuller singing backup (I’m always so happy when I see him walk out on stage).
Their shared joy in performing their music together infected the whole crowd. So reassuring in this world where so many concerts are more about a dance routine and lip-syncing, that Taylor and King can just bring it right back down to their instruments, their songs, their incredible charisma and the love they have for performing.
They were so relaxed onstage, bantering with the audience when someone called out. For example, ‘Carole, do you love James?’ ‘Do I love James, was that the question? Of course I do’ and another time a fan cried “I love you James Taylor,’ to which he replied, ‘Probably helps that we don’t know each other,’
For me, the stand-out moments were when they sang ‘You Can Close Your Eyes,’ and when King sang ‘Will You love Me Tomorrow,’ but what am I saying? Every moment was just wonderful. When they performed ‘Locomotion,’ as one of their encores, Carole King nearly brought the house down. The energy of that amazing woman! I’m not sure who was more sorry when they finally left the stage – the crowd, or the performers.
Book tickets – and get the best seats you can!
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