JAMES TAYLOR & JACKSON BROWNE PREVOIENT 2 DATES COMMUNES

James Taylor et Jackson Browne, les deux "troubadours" modernes légendaires qui ont défini le mouvement dit des singers-songwriters du début des années 70 (avec Joni Mitchell bien sûr!) se produiront ensemble pour la première fois pour une tournée de deux dates exceptionnelles dans des stades cet été aux USA: le 30 juin dans le stade historique de Rigley Field à Chicago et le 03 août au Fenway Park de Boston.


A part "Sweet Baby James", que Jackson Browne interpréta avec brio il y a deux ans lorsqu'il remplaça au pied levé un JT indisponible pour son concert d'été traditionnel à Tanglewood  j'ai hâte de connaitre les morceaux de leur répertoires respectifs que les deux  légendes vont reprendre.

James Taylor a amené sa tournée actuelle au Wrigley Field de Chicago ce jeudi avec Jackson Browne en tant qu'invité spécial.

Les deux singer-songwriters, qui ont percé au début des années 70, ne tournent pas ensemble mis se sont rejoints pour deux concerts dans les stades géants de baseball (plus de 40 000 places) de Wrigley et, le 3 août prochain, de Fenway Park à Boston.

Browne a ouvert la soirée avec une setlist de 10 chansons qui se concentrait sur certaines de ses chansons les plus connues tirées de neuf albums différents. Taylor s'est joint à lui sur ses deux chansons finales, Take It Easy tirée l'album For Everyman et For a Rocker de l'album Lawyers in Love.

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Susan Dunn wrote: "Jackson was the opening act. James came out and sang Take It Easy and For a Rocker with him. They were awesome! Then Jackson came back out at the end of the show and they sang Doctor My Eyes together and one last song that I didn't know but need to find. It was beautiful. They were both so incredible and really complimentary of each other. I've seen Jackson a bunch of times but this was my first time seeing James. It couldn't have been better! A beautiful night!!

James Taylor was only joking when he told a sold-out Wrigley Field crowd Thursday night that the ballpark reminded him of his living room. His kidding aside, the iconic singer-songwriter proceeded to turn the Friendly Confines into a cozy setting in which the stage doubled as the world's largest front porch. Perched on a stool and picking an acoustic guitar for a majority of the two-hour concert, Taylor shrank the venue's dimensions by serenading the audience with tunes that often took the form of folk-pop lullabies.


Even-keeled and easygoing, the music matched Taylor's mood and the ideal summer weather — the latter just one of the reasons why the vocalist appeared to be so joyous. Earlier in the week, he was named as a Kennedy Center honoree. The Massachusetts native also continues to tour behind last year's "Before This World," his first No. 1 album. For Taylor, who famously battled depression, endured divorces and survived drug addiction, life is good.

Warmth came across not only in Taylor's relaxed body language and recurrent smiles, but poured out as sentiments in covers of R&B classics like "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," "Knock on Wood" and his own hits "Shower the People," "Your Smiling Face". Backed by an ace ensemble that swelled to as many as ten members, the 68-year-old centered on themes related to home, nature and togetherness. Songs stood out for their use of restraint, patience and steadiness. At odds with today's distraction-prone culture, the calming attributes suggested the need for reflection and espoused tranquility.

So did Taylor's shea-butter salve of a voice. Soothing, and colored with soulfulness and sadness, it balanced restlessness and peacefulness, yearning and contentment, regret and hopefulness while seldom becoming maudlin. The finesse with which Taylor sang extended to the arrangements and orderly placement of horns, percussion, fiddle and piano. No matter the style — upbeat Latin rhythms on "Mexico," finger-snapping jazz lines for "Stretch of the Highway" or backwoods twang on "Country Road" — every instrument served the melody and the narrative.

Aptly, Taylor's storytelling extended to baseball on "Angels of Fenway." Cubs fans doubtlessly related to the Red Sox-based tale of curses and generations-spanning disappointment. Yet the underlying message concerned unity and tradition, subjects Taylor honored in song and via collaboration with opener Jackson Browne. Having already guested on Browne's set, the headliner returned the favor. The kindred spirits closed the show with "You Can Close Your Eyes," the mellow tenor of their voices melting away the commotion of the city and, if only briefly, replacing it with the sound of reassurance.

Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.

Collaborations have added an awesome energy to this concert season: John Mayer playing with members of the Grateful Dead, Sting and Peter Gabriel touring together, Paul McCartney inviting Rob Gronkowski to dance onstage to “Helter Skelter.” Wait, scratch that Gronk/Macca team-up.

Last night, James Taylor returned to Fenway Park, this time with Jackson Browne in tow. Both performed sets full of deep cuts and songs everybody knows by heart with crack bands. But the night’s most musical, joyous moments came when the two shared the stage.

Browne invited Taylor to join him on “For a Rocker” and Eagles hit “Take It Easy,” which Browne wrote with Glenn Frey. Taylor may be the bigger star, but he spent the two tunes grinning ear to ear — eternal nice guy, he even tried to help the guitar tech swap Browne’s instruments.

Later Taylor returned the favor when he interrupted his string of favorites to bring Browne to lead everyone through “Doctor My Eyes.” All night long JT held the park in his hand only to defer to his buddy during the encore. And he was right to — the hot band cracked and popped as the two friends dueted through the minor masterpiece.

JT constantly champions his musicians — he made sure to hug or shake hands with each band member after he introduced them. But the icon probably could have wowed the crowd alone with his guitar.

Last week, Taylor told the Herald that Fenway has a unique energy, that the place gets “people on their feet quicker.” While the baby-boomer-dominated sold-out house spent a lot of time in their seats, the Massachusetts native spurred them into whoops, cheers and a half-dozen standing ovations.

As well-worn as his catalog is, Taylor’s classics rang bright and true. The simple picking of “Walking Man” turned a stadium into a temple. The opening harmonies of “Carolina in My Mind” echoed around the grandstands. The sloppy, sweaty, funky blues of “Steamroller” proved the man doesn’t only do AM gold nuggets.

During a maddening and divisive political season, Taylor detoured from his best-known stuff to celebrate the nation and promote unity. He followed a tender rendering of “America the Beautiful” with his own “Shed A Little Light,” a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and his teachings.

Browne’s opening set also slid in a plea for peace, new song “The Long Way Around,” which he dedicated to local John Rosenthal and his organization Stop Handgun Violence. But he spent most of his time singing his hits with a voice straight out of 1977 — “The Pretender,” “Running on Empty” and more.

Taylor told the Herald he’d be interested in making summer Fenway shows a tradition. Boston clearly likes the idea. How about bring Carole King along in 2017?