James Taylor and His Band of Legends

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » June 19, 2008 11:59 am

Has anybody caught JT on his current tour? I went to see them last night at Wolf Trap and it was such a great show! I wasn't too impressed the first time I saw him (circa 1999) but last night made up for it. Just wondering what others think of him this go-around.

moog · Post by **moog** » June 20, 2008 4:17 pm

I'm going tonight to Holmdel. I'll let you know later in the weekend

2 years ago he did a great show there.

magnus & Mr Moon · Post by **magnus & Mr Moon** » June 20, 2008 8:33 pm

we saw him in Raleigh - great show. He even did a song by request and joked that he would drop "Going to Carolina" from the list to play that request...he didn't.

Tampico · Post by **Tampico** » June 20, 2008 8:56 pm

the last 6 or 7 years JT has sorta been doing the Buffett thing as far as his live shows go. He has his versions of "Songs you know by Heart" and he pretty much plays them all, throws in a few old numbers and then a couple from way back that only the life long fans can remember. His interaction with the crowd is good and if he has a band with him it's going to be a top notch group of players. I've seen him 6 times in the last 8 years and every show has been enjoyable. The one man band acoustic show is highly recommended just to hear him tell the stories that go with the songs. I'm not going to see him this year but one of these years I'm going to catch one of his Tanglewood shows that he does every year.

beignet · Post by **beignet** » June 20, 2008 9:30 pm

We saw him in 01 and 03 in NOLA and it was a great show both times. He was really gracious to all the fans and signed anything you put in front of him if you got up to the stage.

moog · Post by **moog** » June 23, 2008 1:24 am

For the show June 20 he did about 7 or 8 off his new CD. A cover song album. A good show. Except for the late arrivals (end of set 1) who had to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk. Especially when one says Oh I know that song then, talked and talked and talked and talked and talked and talked. Even when James Taylor spoke these digital file generation jackoffs talked and talked and talked and talked.

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 23, 2008 9:02 am

I saw him at Jones Beach Saturday night. Like moog said, he did a lot of stuff from his new album. There weren't a lot of JT's "songs you know by heart", which kind of surprised me. Not that I'm complaining. He's a pretty funny guy too. After about the 2nd or 3rd song he looked out at the crowd and said "Thanks for coming, it wouldn't be the same without you. It would leave me with an empty feeling."

James and his band are not a very attractive bunch though.

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » June 23, 2008 9:27 am

I love his very dry and subtle humor. He says very common things in a way that makes them funny.

My favorite thing he said at the show here was something like "This is my electric guitar here. The electric guitar replaced the old gas powered and steam guitars which came after the wood burning and horse drawn guitars."

moog · Post by **moog** » June 23, 2008 12:57 pm

LIPH wrote:James and his band are not a very attractive bunch though.

But they do have an extensive history as session players. Lou even played in Buddy Rich's band!

Three of the band members played for Zappa at one time or another.

Walt Fowler
Steve Gadd (drummer)
Lou Marini

LIPH · Post by **LIPH** » June 23, 2008 4:02 pm

Steve Gadd was really good but there were a couple of times when he was banging away I thought he would stroke out right on the stage.

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » June 23, 2008 11:55 pm

LIPH wrote:Steve Gadd was really good but there were a couple of times when he was banging away I thought he would stroke out right on the stage.

Steve was pretty badass with JT. The only other time I remember seeing him was with Clapton several years back and he didn't do anything too special that time around. This time, he had a few opportuinities to let his playing shine.

moog · Post by **moog** » June 24, 2008 2:11 am

Here's Gadd jamming with Ralph Macdonald in 1983

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRAVnSo2 ... re=related

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » June 25, 2008 10:00 am

moog wrote:Here's Gadd jamming with Ralph Macdonald in 1983

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRAVnSo2 ... re=related

Cool video! Man he's young there! (compared to now)

Snowparrot · Post by **Snowparrot** » July 8, 2008 12:45 am

I saw James Taylor and his Band of Legends tonight---Awesome!

chippewa · Post by **chippewa** » October 28, 2008 10:53 pm

JT on Letterman tonight, if you can sit through Regis. (though Regis reading the list of jokes Dave has told about him is pretty good)

Probably playing something from his new "Covers" release.
Good to see somebody embracing cover songs.

conched · Post by **conched** » October 28, 2008 11:42 pm

chippewa wrote:JT on Letterman tonight, if you can sit through Regis. (though Regis reading the list of jokes Dave has told about him is pretty good)

Probably playing something from his new "Covers" release.
Good to see somebody embracing cover songs.

oh, goody! Thanks for the reminder.

Haven't seen JT in years, but listen to his stuff all the time. Still gotta buy the new one. Loved his last live DVD and CD-- One Man Band.

mr conched EVEN likes JT.

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » October 29, 2008 8:57 am

chippewa wrote:JT on Letterman tonight, if you can sit through Regis. (though Regis reading the list of jokes Dave has told about him is pretty good)

Probably playing something from his new "Covers" release.
Good to see somebody embracing cover songs.

Aw heck... I just saw this post and missed it. What'd he play?

conched · Post by **conched** » October 29, 2008 10:32 pm

Seminole Wind with a very nice fiddle (violin) player

Of course THEY didn't even give enough time to do the song and I think he had to cut off the end??

Here's a youtube of John Anderson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGoBQIhyFFM#

Seminole wind
(John Anderson)

Ever since the days of old
Men would search for wealth untold
They'd dig for silver and for gold
And leave the empty holes
And way down south in the Everglades
Where the black water rolls and the saw grass waves
The eagles fly and the otters play
In the land of the Seminole.

So blow, blow Seminole wind
Blow like you're never gonna blow again
I'm callin' to you like a long lost friend
But I don't know who you are
And blow, blow from the Okeechobee
All the way up to Micanopy
Blow 'cross the home of the Seminoles
The alligators and the garr.

Progress came and took its toll
And in the name of flood control
They made their plans and they drained the land
Now the glades are goin' dry
And the last time I walked in the swamp
I sat upon a cypress stump
I listened close and I heard the ghost
of Osceola cry.

So blow, blow Seminole wind
Blow like you're never gonna blow again
I'm callin' to you like a long lost friend
But I don't know who you are
And blow, blow from the Okeechobee
All the way up to Micanopy
Blow 'cross the home of the Seminoles
The alligators and the garr.

chippewa · Post by **chippewa** » October 29, 2008 10:45 pm

I was going to post the link to the Letterman performance, but it's not online yet. But tonight's musical act already is, so maybe they won't put up James Taylor online. They don't post all of them.

FunkHouse9 · Post by **FunkHouse9** » October 30, 2008 10:31 am

conched wrote:Seminole Wind with a very nice fiddle (violin) player

Of course THEY didn't even give enough time to do the song and I think he had to cut off the end??

Here's a youtube of John Anderson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGoBQIhyFFM#

Seminole wind
(John Anderson)

Great song! I don't recall if he played it here this summer or not. I'd love to hear it (again?). I think I'm going to have to pick up his new cd before too long.