Sam | 29/03/08 | X | Edinburgh, Ecosse | Edinburgh Playhouse | ||
Lun | 31/03/08 | X | Belfast, Irlande | Waterfront Hall | ||
Jeu | 03/04/08 | X | Charleroi, Belgique | Palais Des Beaux Arts | ||
Sam | 05/04/08 | X | Amsterdam, Pays-Bas | Heineken Music Hall | ||
Dim | 06/04/08 | X | Paris, France | Olympia | ||
Mar | 08/04/08 | X | Francfort, Allemagne | Alte Oper | ||
Jeu | 10/04/08 | X | Lucerne, Suisse | KKL Pavilion | ||
Sam | 12/04/08 | X | Florence, Italie | Teatro Verdi | ||
Lun | 14/04/08 | X | Milan, Italie | Teatro Smeraldo | ||
Mar | 15/04/08 | X | Rome, Italie | Gran Teatro | ||
Jeu | 17/04/08 | X | Hamburg, Allemagne | Laeiszhalle | ||
Ven | 18/04/08 | X | Odense, Danemark | Concert House | ||
Dim | 20/04/08 | X | Stockholm, Suède | Cirkus | ||
Lun | 21/04/08 | X | Oslo, Norvège | Oslo Konserthuset | ||
Mer | 23/04/08 | X | Copenhagen, Danemark | Falkoner Theatre |
One man band with plenty of friends in the Capital
The Scotsman,
Edinburgh, Scotland
JAMES TAYLOR'S memorable appearance on The Simpsons in the early Nineties, in which he irritates a group of astronauts with his "unique brand of bittersweet folk rock", showed that the musician isn't afraid to poke fun at himself.
This quality was again in evidence at the Playhouse last night, as the 60-year-old from North Carolina displayed a sense of humour drier than a sandpaper shop in the Sahara.
The rapturous reception he received from a packed Playhouse was in sharp contrast to the softly spoken musician, whose mellow tunes have been captivating audiences around the world for more than 40 years.
Referring to his lyrics "Never grow old, never die young", the bald-headed guitarist quipped: "It's a bit too late for me now."
The stage was decked out with red curtains and ornamental light fittings. It gave the concert a cosy, intimate atmosphere that somehow seemed appropriate.
The gig was part of a tour to promote Taylor's new live album, One Man Band, which refers to his superb pianist Larry Goldings.
In terms of the number of musicians on stage, it was very much back to basics. However, Taylor has clearly embraced some modern technology. Each song was accompanied by images projected on to a large screen, which Taylor himself was operating via a laptop.
He showed the audience pictures of the "Frozen Man" before one of his most famous songs, while Country Road was illustrated by dramatic footage of American landscapes.
However, this paled into insignificance when the audience clapped eyes on Big Foot, Taylor's extraordinary drum machine. Made of wood and the size of a small car, this is no ordinary beatbox – it's surely one of the coolest musical gizmos around.
The use of Big Foot, as well as a megaphone, was perfect to hammer home the political message of Slap Leather.
Taylor also showed great invention during his next song, Travelling Star, during which he was joined on the screen by members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Given that the backing vocals were pre-recorded, it's a good job Taylor's timing is spot on.
Taylor then talked about Carole King, the woman responsible for giving him his 1971 United States chart-topper, You've Got a Friend. Taylor clearly hasn't let the fact a certain breakdown service has commandeered it for marketing purposes or the fact he's had to sing it every night for nearly 40 years put him off. He still describes King's composition as "one of the best pop songs of all time".
He ended the first half of the show with Steamroller Blues, which was accompanied by powerful footage of Russian tanks.
The second half almost never got started, with Taylor making the mistake of stopping to shake hands and sign autographs. It wasn't long before he was mobbed.
Another delay followed, as the musician gave a rambling introduction to Line 'Em Up, a song about Richard Nixon. He was a president for whom, like George W Bush, Taylor had little regard.
Much to the delight of the audience, Taylor crammed several hits, including Sweet Baby James, Carolina On My Mind and Fire and Rain into the last half hour.
As a long-haired, flare-wearing 19-year-old, Taylor was one of the first artists signed to The Beatles' Apple record label. His appearance has changed a bit since 1968, but the Playhouse crowd's frenzied reaction showed Taylor that he's still got plenty of friends in the Capital.
Dernière édition par Admin le Mer 09 Déc 2009, 4:45 pm, édité 3 fois