CONCERT REVIEW: JAMES TAYLOR AND CAROLE KING TROUBADOUR REUNION IN DENVER

Peanut Butter and Chocolate…

Two great tastes in music came together for the Troubadour Reunion tour, celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first time performing together at The Troubadour Club in Los Angeles originally in 1970. The reunion concert was held at the Troubadour itself in November of 2007. A CD/DVD album was produced from this event, that contains a subset of the tour play list. The reunion tour was announced in November of 2009 and began the following March in Australia. Over 50 international dates were scheduled and the tour ends next week in Anaheim. USA TODAY considers it one of the top 5 concerts of this summer. It’s the top selling ticket event in history, beating the Super Bowl, in terms of secondary ticket sales. I’ve been going to James Taylor concerts for over 30 years. I’ve seen three concerts so far this year, this was the best. Wednesday night it came to Denver’s Pepsi Center.

I got my tickets three seconds after they went on pre-sale and got seats in the second row off the floor, about 75 feet from the stage. This tour is a bit unique, trying to pattern the stage in an intimate setting, in the round in the center of the auditorium. As the stage rotated, I had great seats at least half the time, and there was a wide-screen TV on the back side of the stage. But we were so close that the view was better than what appeared on the circle of Jumbotron displays above the stage. Surrounding the stage were VIP stage seats with tables and chairs which funded the favorite charities of Taylor and King.

As the band took to the stage and with a guitar lead in, photos from their youth appeared on the Jumbotron monitors, James Taylor and Carole King entered to a standing ovation and no other introduction as JT dressed in a suit played:

• Something In The Way She Moves

If this title sounds familiar, it is because it subsequently provided the introductory line in George Harrison’s “Something.” JT had originally wanted to title this song “I Feel Fine” after the lyric in his song “quite a long long time and I feel fine,” but the Beatles had already taken that title.

As JT sang this song in Denver, Carole King added great harmonies.

They switched as Carole King started up:

• So Far Away

It was rendered very simply, with just bass accompaniment.

The the rest of the backup joined, and JT introduced the band:

Hello Denver thanks for coming out, it wouldn’t be the same without you. We go through the motions but it’s not the same. We’ve got with us the original band from 1970-something…

Leland Sklar on Bass. He appeared out of the woods, don’t offer him food or have direct eye contact with him…

Russ Kunkel on Drums. He can hit things and make music. What he did on “Fire and Rain” with brushes in studio…

Danny Kortchmar on Electric Guitar. I’ve known him since he was knee high to turnip green, introduced me to Carole, and was in the band Flying Machine with me.

We’re going to do now one of Danny’s songs:

• Machine Gun Kelley

JT then continued:

Back last November when we were putting this tour together we tried to figure out the original set from 1903 (sic)

We played everything we had and this was probably in it…

• Carolina In My Mind

This was one of his earliest hits and it appeared on his debut eponymous album in 1968 which he recorded for Apple Records, the record label of The Beatles. He had written it in London as he was homesick. The lyric “holy host of others standing around me” is a reference to The Beatles who were recording The White Album at the same time and studio, and accompaniment by Paul McCartney and George Harrison on the track.

This is one of his most affecting and heart-tugging songs, and has become the unofficial song of both the State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When I saw him perform this song at Red Rocks accompanied by visuals, I wanted to go to Carolina in my mind.

As JT performed this Wednesday night, he had great backing singers, who after they finished this song all left the stage, all but one.

Carole King starts up, with Kate Markowitz doing backing vocals on

• Way over Yonder

Carole’s voice is right on, for this modern spiritual. Originally this song was on her Tapestry album, released in 1971 and was #1 on the charts for 15 consecutive weeks. The album has sold over 25 million copies worldwide, winning 4 Grammy Awards. James Taylor had encouraged Carole to sing her own songs. For Tapestry, She holds the record for the longest time for an album by a female to remain on the charts and the longest time for an album by a female to hold the #1 position.

Carole then introduced keyboardist Robbie Kondor, as she took up her guitar for…

• Smack Water Jack

JT took up the lead with

• Walking on County Road

As is his habit in live concerts, he goes funk and Carole brought the crowd to their feet to clap. “You can feel it” hands go up.

Carole then continued with

I co-wrote this with Ms. Toni Stern

• Sweet Seasons

JT picked it up with one of my favorites, a later hit that really moves:

• Mexico

Carole told us:

I’ve been a fan of James Taylor since I met him in 1970. I wrote this following song by myself that sounded like one he was writing. Listen to them both, it’s spooky

• Sing a Song of Long Ago

that began with “Whispering wind.”

James then sang a hauntingly similar

• Long Ago (And Far Away)

with lyrics of “long ago sailing ships and Sunday afternoons”

JT then told us:

The next two are hymns for agnostics, spiritual, yet non-assigned. They help you get up and put one foot in front of the other.

Carole did:

• Get Up Every Morning

Carole left the keyboard to join the choir of three backing singers for the second hymn:

• Shower the People

When it went into acapela mode, it was like a revival, the crowd clapped, but when

Arnold McCuller– who has been with JT for 30 years — then went gospel, the crowd came unglued. After the standing ovation, JT said:

That was good… too good.

Andrea Zonn was introduced on violin and then Carole took the microphone to sing

• Natural Woman

At least half the audience sang along as she riffed with the lead guitarist. She brought down the house and then continued

Were going to take a 15 min break. Well be back and hope you will too.

During the interval the Jumbotrons showed “Intermission” reels from the Drive-in movies of the 60′s, including the famous dancing hot dog from the movie Grease.

The band and the leads returned from the break. JT was in his usual relaxed jeans, short sleeves, and now a riding cap. He did a long musical intro to

• Copperline

Another song about North Carolina, redolent with smells and memories so thick you have to brush them away like flies.

This song was accompanied with both fiddle and accordion. This was nostalgia on steroids.

As JT and Carol got side by side, he said

A number of songs Carole’s written, I’ve covered. And many of the songs I’ve sung, it turns out that Carole wrote them. Here’s one originally recorded by The Everly Brothers. I recorded with Art Garfunkel. And it turns out Carole wrote it.

• I’ll Do My Crying In The Rain

Such beautiful harmonies between the two of them.

JT continued

We started putting this tour together back in November. First set list was 6 hrs long (the crowd cheers approval and encouragement.) It had to be shortened, and it was an emotionally wrenching experience removing song. Taking them out was like dropping your kids off at camp.

As people shout out requests, JT continued

This was requested by Denver.

And it was. He did a web poll on his website before the concert came to Denver

Carole began:

Green fields and rolling hills…

• Been to Canaan

JT told us

Gonna do a cowboy lullaby. When I wrote this I’d been abroad for a year. That never sounds right. I’d been traveling overseaw.

He’d been recording in England, and was driving down to North Carolina as he describes his brother And his wife having a kid while he was away.

In a moment of relaxed judgment they named him after me. It’s a cowboy lullaby that might have been sung by Roy Rogers or Gene Autry. Lights out in the bunk house. Go to sleep ya little buckaroo.

• Sweet Baby James

This is my favorite song by JT, telling of the past with the cowboys, the present of a drive from Western Massachusetts, and the visionary picture of the highway, the sea and the sky. Textures and colors of deep green and blues. When Carole added the harmonies, it pulled at my heart. When JT performed this song a few years ago at Coors Amphitheater, he mentioned that the grandmother of Sweet Baby James was in the audience. Could this have in fact been both the grandmother of his nephew as well as his own mother Gertrude Taylor?

Next came a very slow entrance to a song that is not on the Troubadour Reunion album, but welcomed famously

• Jazzman

For this performance the wailing sax was replaced by the electric guitar. Though it was good, the saxophonist was missed. Even Lisa Simpson would have done.

Carole continued by telling us

Back in 1960 I was a struggling song writer. I had a hit with (the girls group) The Shirelles. It was recorded 10 years later with James Taylor.

• Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

When JT sang his long, low, soulful harmony, it was heart melting, bringing applause. They hugged after the song and the room came to their feet.

• Your Smiling Face

This was a huge crowd pleaser by JT.

• Too Late Baby

Carole did some nice instrumental jamming in the middle that brought a well deserved ovation.

• Fire and Rain

This introspective ballad once hit #3 on the charts. A mournful song about depression, his time in mental institutions and a friend’s suicide tells about the crash of his early band The Flying Machine. This hit song for JT had Russ Kunkel doing his innovative brushes on drum. He took a bow to another standing ovation.

Carole then continued with

• I Feel the Earth Move

Most of the ladies came to their feet, as the Jumbotron showed videos of ladies in old dancing movies. This too got an ovation.

JT took up a running gag he used throughout the concert as he showed obvious gratitude for Carole King when he introduced the next song with

And then she wrote…

• You’ve Got a Friend

JT often explains in his own concerts that it was her great generosity to let him release this song she wrote before she herself did on her own Tapestry album. Both won Grammy Awards in 1971 for the song.

On the first chorus, she sang harmony. On the second verse she led and JT did harmony.

For the last verse, Carole sang

Here we are in Denver

For a night to remember

We’re so glad we came

Hope you feel the same

There was of course a standing ovation as they left the stage.

Not unexpectedly, there was an encore. JT introduced it with

And then she wrote…

• Up On The Roof

As he often does in his own concerts, when he sings “Up on my roof” he begins to hop onstage.

But Carole’s style is different, almost in a minor key. They switch between arrangements.

And the stars at night put on a show for free

As the Jumbotron shows a star field. But JT resumes his style with

I keep on telling you that right smack dab in the middle of my town

I’ve found a paradise that’s just about trouble proof

I laughed out loud it was so good! This song was worth the ticket price alone. I remember when JT did this on the Sesame Street TV show. This song Carole originally wrote in 1962 for The Drifters. Catch the line

I climb way up to the top of the stairs

And all my cares just drift right into space

• How Sweet It Is

The hits just kept on coming. Carole shared

In case you haven’t noticed we’re really, really, really glad to be here. It’s like a magic carpet ride through Denver.

Lest the audience think this was the end, They each raised a single finger suggesting just one more.

They closed with this lullaby, as Carole sang the most wonderful harmonies. Though once harmonized by his first wife Carly Simon, Carole King was every bit as good, looking into his eyes with admiration and respect and at the end laid her head on his shoulder.

• You Can Close Your Eyes

These two iconic singer-songwriters, whose powers remain undiminished by the years, each has been strumming our heartstrings for decades.

Thank you Denver.

They closed with a kiss and embrace.

It is rare to see performers with such sincere affection for each other who seemed to enjoy being with me as much as I enjoyed being with them.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate…

Carole King’s piano added depth to James Taylor’s vocals, and his guitar contributed  percussive accents to her lyrics. His trademark plucking style, rhythmic strumming and fretboard hammering have inspired so many budding guitarists. Her deep lyrics and his soaring vocals. You’ve heard it said that the movie is not as good as the book? The Troubadour Reunion Tour album was not as good as the concert. Many artists of this age just can’t do it any more. These two can, with a polished and delicious concert.

How Sweet It Is.

UPDATE: YouTube has an interview of James Taylor and Carole King from Denver here.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood culturevulture
www.billpetro.com

Concert Review: James Taylor at Red Rocks in Denver

In December I was in Tokyo. I’d been in Asia for 2 weeks already and I was worn out, cold, lonely, and homesick. As I walked by a Starbucks in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, I heard the strains of James Taylor. It took me home. He has the power — his baritone voice and warm melodies convey a profound sense of locality. His words and music describe home with the clarity of Tolkien writing about a place in Middle-Earth.

JT’s latest visit to the Red Rock Amphitheatre above Denver is described as James Taylor and his Band of Legends Tour. Last winter he collected musicians in his studio-converted-from-a-barn at his home in western Massachusetts. There they recorded “covers” or as he described it “songs originally done by other artists.” In support of the September release of this upcoming Covers album the celebrated singer-songwriter concludes at Red Rocks an almost three dozen city North American tour accompanied by his full big band. These songs were inspired by such notable recording artists as Chuck Berry, Big Mama Thornton, Junior Walker, among others, along with performances of Taylor’s greatest hits, including most of my favorites.

Red Rocks has a special affinity for JT. He started by saying “I haven’t played here since… 1903!” In truth, it’s been since 2003 that he was last here, and I was in the audience then. He ended his final encore then with Sweet Baby James, but not this time, as I’ll describe below. But this time he said of Red Rocks, “It’s one of my favorite venues… I’ve not seen a more beautiful place so far.” He certainly didn’t say this the last time he was in Denver, when I caught his concert at the Coor’s Amphitheatre.

He’s said in an interview:

“We play a number of those WPA/National Recovery Act theaters and venues,” Taylor said, recounting some of his favorite spots around the country including the Greek Theatre in Berkeley — where I first saw him perform almost 30 years ago. “I like playing those and thinking about how they were ‘get the nation back to work’ kinds of things. We’re about two hours outside of Boston, three from New York. We live in a state forest that was . . . a planted forest, a Civilian Conservation Corps effort. They brought people out of New York and Boston to large camps there, and they would plant tracts of various kinds of trees with the idea that they’d be timber down the line.”

Though he took to the stage 15 minutes late, the crowd was enthusiastic. There were a dozen musicians on stage. He had 4 vocalists, who occasionally played instruments, and 7 instrumentalists including a saxophonist, trumpeter, 2 drummers, 2 guitarists and a pianist. These included:

Michael Landau – electric guitar
Luis Conte – percussion
David Lasley – vocals
Walt Fowler – horns, keys
Lou Marini – horns (the “Blue Lou” of Saturday Night Live and Blues Brothers)
Steve Gadd – drums
Kate Markowitz – vocals
Larry Goldings – piano, synthesizer
Arnold McCuller – vocals
Jimmy Johnson – bass
Andrea Zonn – vocals, fiddle

… each of which he introduced, saying, “I’ve got to introduce them all or the bus ride is terrible, they get so touchy.”

He started the set with

• It’s Growing
  

by the Temptations. This was immediately followed by

• Get A Job

or as it’s better known by the words “Shanana-na, shanana-nana” originally done by the Silhouettes.

Then he did one of the crowd pleasers

• Country Road

and as he walked down a country road, with the timbre of his voice still perfect after all these years, he flung music into the air. This was finished by an Appalachian version of an Irish jig, with fiddle, whistle and drum called

• Whiskey Before Breakfast

As the wind came up into the open air mountain venue he said “it’s gone all blustery.” He then introduced a song made famous by Glenn Campbell

• Wichita Lineman

As the wind increased, foreboding a storm, he said “It’s a night for hairspray… or in my case bowling ball wax. Now here’s a song by George Jones from 1955.”

• Why Baby Why

He recounted how they’d toured across Canada and in Calgary played at the Rodeo. “You’ve heard the saying ‘you’ve got to go to a rodeo?’ Well, this was my first. We had to do a couple of country songs because we were told this was the ‘Nashville of the North’. We did another country song to balance it out, this one from Rogers & Hammerstein. It’s a Broadway song about ‘country’ as if Broadway knew anything about it. This is the first song from the musical Oklahoma.”

• Oh What A Beautiful Morning

and what he did with it was magical. I don’t know why, but I felt like I’d been transported to OZ.

• Every Day

was a cover of an old Buddy Holly tune. And “Blue” Lou did and incredible sax solo. He then told us the story of doing some work back in the ’70s, “that’s a whole decade that I don’t remember. But evidently and repeatedly I played at a nightclub in LA called the ‘Troubadour’. And I worked with someone named Carol King. I was so excited to learn the chords to a song she’d written. I didn’t realize at the time I’d be playing that song every night for the rest of my life on Earth. But it could be worse. My hit could have been something like ‘Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight.”

• You’ve Got A Friend

As he sang:

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow

…the crowd shouted their approval, for it had indeed begun to rain by this time. This is not the first concert I’ve seen at Red Rocks where it rained — last summer’s Diana Krall concert did the same — but JT had a particularly good attitude toward it and wove a number of jokes around it.

To add a little sunshine, and a more than usual Latin beat intro from drummer Luis Conte he played

• Mexico

Before the break, they did a song that starts as an acapella chorus, almost like a hymn, that I used in the introduction to my podcast to the “History of Martin Luther King”

• Shed a Little Light

Let us turn our thoughts today
To Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us
All men and women
Living on the earth
Ties of hope and love
Sister and brotherhood

He returned from the break with a song by Big Mamma Thornton, a song made popular by Elvis Presley, but done in a style unfamiliar to those who know the Elvis version

• Hound Dog

JT followed this with one of his perennial favorites

• Walking Man

Then came a song make famous by Junior Walker and the All Stars

• Road Runner

but during the song, the thunderstorm came up strong and they lost all audio power toward the end of the song. This was quickly remedied and he picked up without a best using one of his most popular hits, a song that was most apropos

• Fire and Rain

I’ve been walking my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around

This was followed by a song by the Dixie Chicks, “We really like the Dixie Chicks” JT said.

• Some Days You Gotta Dance

One of my favorites came next. I can still remember watching Sesame Street with my children when they were young, and he was on the show, up on the roof to sing

• Up On The Roof

As the rain continued, and JT changed guitars between almost every song, he quipped “This is my all-weather guitar. The electric guitar is a vast improvement over the gas and steam powered guitars that proceeded it, and there was the word burning guitar which was unsuccessful for obvious reasons. The less said about the horse-drawn guitar, the better. The old jokes are the best, don’t you think?”

• Steamroller

This song is essentially an excuse for some judicious jazz jamming. JT will ham it up with the audience and even jam with his voice. The end of the song featured him and his lead guitarist in a duel over a cacophony of chaotic chords.

• Carolina on My Mind

came next, one of his favorites. But he didn’t do the other song about that part of the country, namely “Copperline.”

• Shower the People

was a huge crowd favorite, with an extended solo by Arnold McCuller, “a fine vocalist in his own right. I’ve listened to his album ‘Sabor’ over and over again.” JT mentioned.

• Your Smiling Face

had everyone on their feet, singing along, and ending the show. But the crowd wouldn’t settle for that. They called “JT, JT, JT…” and unsurprisingly he came out for a number of encores, including the cover of Wilson Pickett’s

• Midnight Hour

which slid effortlessly into the cover of Eddie Floyd’s

• Knock On Wood

• How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

This Marvin Gaye song had everyone clapping and singing. But this fabulous show ended with just JT, his four backup vocalists and a guitar singing the heartfelt and beautifully harmonious song he’d first recorded over 40 years ago. As I recall, the last time he sang this song at Red Rocks, he was joined onstage by his musician daughter Sally Taylor who was at the University of Colorado at the time.

• Close Your Eyes

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood culturevulture
www.billpetro.com

Concert Review: Stevie Wonder at Coors Amphitheater in Denver

Stevie Wonder has toured only once since 1988. It’s been 13 years since he has graced Denver with a concert, and Denver welcomed him back with open arms to Fiddler’s Green at the Coors Amhitheater. Despite starting 30 minutes late, he played for over two hours without a break. Stevie was led onstage by his daughter Aisha Morris, lovely indeed, and after introducing her to the audience accompanied by applause, he said with a smile,

OK, I know, I know…

A Wonder Summer’s Night is the name of this concert tour across over a dozen US cities as well as Europe and down under. It comes two years after the death of his mother, and Stevie said he was inspired to do it by the gratitude he felt to his fans for their support of his career which enable him to do things for his mother than he wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.

After Aishi took her place with the other two backup singers he began. He didn’t start with his biggest hits, and some of the early songs in the concert were unfamiliar but not unappreciated. It was a full stage. He had:

• 2 keyboardists
• 3 percussionists with full drum sets
• 3 guitars, including bass
• Trumpet and Sax

Despite the wall of sound his voice rose above it all beautifully. He moved from  electric Yamaha and Hohner keyboards to a Yamaha Grand piano. He encouraged the audience to sing along — indeed to start the songs, requiring them to give him a count down. But it was his lyrics that were pure poetry as he sang,

There’s something bout your love
That makes me weak and
Knocks me off my feet
Knocks me off my feet

Beyond his lyrics, which are sometimes difficult to follow, his music itself is complex and sophisticated, the rhythm is often syncopated and other musicians who have tried to do covers of his songs have said it’s difficult to duplicate. But it has a good beat, you can’t help but dance to it.

Nevertheless, he did not only do his own songs, he did a tribute to a couple of other Motown hits:

• Betcha, By Golly, Wow

made famous by The Stylistics in 1971, but Stevie did it in his own way. Using a mouth tube through a synthesizer he showed that he’s always on the cutting edge of musical innovation, and one of the pioneers of synthesized music. This was followed by

• Have You Seen Her

popularized by the Chi-Lights in 1971 as well. But the crowd went wild when Stevie sang his #1 hit from the 1973 album Innervisions

• Higher Ground

with the the trademark kinetic clavinet-based arrangement, and its optimistic view of the role of faith as he sings into the fadeout

God is gonna show you higher ground
He’s the only friend you have around

Following this the band went through solos starting with the keyboard through each of the instruments while Stevie played harmonica. You could see why he had selected such talented instrumentalists.

As he did another hit from Innervisions

• Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing

you could see the great camera work that was done for this concert on the Jumbotron monitor, as if it was going to be turned into a concert video. The camera angles were superb, the fades were excellent and the close-ups were great. As the audience was not allowed to bring in cameras, everyone had the cell phone cameras out to capture the evening, and my iPhone pictures don’t to justice.

This was followed in quick succession by

• Visions
• Living for the City
• Golden Lady

Then he did a new song, scheduled for a new album called “Through The Eyes of Wonder”

• Keep Fooling Yourself Baby Girl

He mentioned that he’s working on a number of projects, including a new album called “The Gospel Inspired by Lula,” named for his mother who helped him write “I Was Made to Love Her,” “Don’t Know Why I Love You” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.”

Aisha Morris, his daughter joined him at the piano to sing a solo with her father accompanying her on the keyboard. She has a lovely voice, if not a powerful one. The audience listened attentively.

After she finished, Stevie said,

Let’s sing a song to Aisha.

By which he meant, let’s sing a song about Aisha, and then launched into…

• Isn’t She Lovely

You know the lyrics:

Isn’t she lovely
Isn’t she wonderful
Isn’t she precious
Less than one minute old

This is the song he wrote for her on the occasion of her birth. As the song continued, however, he stopped singing, and the audience was uncertain as to whether they were supposed to sing. Then it became clear why he had stopped singing: he was all choked up. His daughter leaned over and kissed him. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

After a minute he composed himself enough to grab his harmonica and resume, and then finished the song, after which he lifted his sunglasses and wiped a tear from his eye.

He spoke to the audience following this, saying

Time is long but life is short

No problem is larger than life — so work it out

Stevie Wonder’s legendary civil rights consciousness and unapologetic discussion about faith are a testament to his many outstanding accomplishments in life. He’s earned many commercial and professional honors in his 58 years, including an Academy Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. And he has won more Grammy Awards (26) than any other solo artists.

But he also likes to have fun, and I don’t think I’ve seen any other performer who smiles so much. He got lots of laughs when he asked:

How many of you guys have made love to Stevie Wonder music?

I want some payback, I want some royalties.

How about with this next song. I did… but that’s OK because I wrote it.

And then he sang:

• Overjoyed

Over time, I’ve been building my castle of love
Just for two, though you never knew you were my reason
I’ve gone much too far for you now to say
That I’ve got to throw my castle away

Following this song, he then addressed the audience with,

I want to form a group. It will be called “The Wonder Singers of Denver.”

OK, fellas, I want you to sing the following…

That sounds just like charch. Not “church”, but charch.

Ladies, I now want you to sing the following…

Now everyone, I want you to sing “La, la, la, la, la, la…”

…and without us knowing it, he snuck us into

• My Cherie Amour

But everyone came out of their seats for the next song, a perennial favorite, and featured in one of my favorite films “You’ve Got Mail”

• Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)

The entire audience was on their feet, except the couple next to me who appeared to be clinically dead. Stevie continued with the following, and “you can feel it all over”

• Sir Duke

a tribute to music’s pioneers like Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Then, from Songs in the Key of Life came

• I Wish (those days, could , come back once more)

Lookin back on when I, was a little nappy headed boy,
Then my only worry, was for Christmas what would be my toy,
Even though we sometimes, would not get a thing,
We were happy with the, joy that they would bring.

The concert was then interrupted with the local radio station who had conducted a contest to see who could sing a duet with Stevie Wonder. The winner came up, a nervous woman with a good voice. She joined Stevie for a song that actually has a female part

• You Are The Sunshine of My Life

The concert concluded with two more hits, as he had earlier excused himself for leaving early and not doing the typical “meet and greet”, in order to attend the funeral of a family member of one of the band members,

• Superstition

And then, his Academy Award winning song from the film “The Woman In Red”

• I Just Called To Say I Love You

Throughout the concert, my wife was on her feet, and singing along with every song. She told me that singing live with Stevie Wonder had always been her dream.

When I asked her why, she said,

I’m practicing so I can be a backup singer in Stevie Wonder’s praise band in heaven.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood culturevulture
www.billpetro.com

PAUL MCCARTNEY AT PEPSI CENTER IN DENVER

Sir Paul McCartney last visited the Denver Pepsi Center in 2002, where he performed what has now been captured on his album Back in the US. It was the best concert I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been going to major concerts for 35 years. Why was this?

Paul McCartney plays the soundtrack of my life

He created and plays the music my generation grew up on. It is hard to exaggerate that the Beatles — the group he was in before Wings — was one of the most seminal bands of the last century and changed the face of popular music and culture. Was this concert in November of 2005 as good? I’ll tell you at The End.

What does a $115 ticket buy you? Not the worst seat in the house. No, that was the seat a hundred feed to my left. At this price it’s BYOO (Bring Your Own Oxygen). To get a seat on the floor is $250 plus fees.

The $30 Tour Program was very sharp, though curiously, filled with ads. Admittedly, there was inevitably a McCartney tie-in. This tour showcases his latest album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.

Did you notice that Paul McCartney’s name on it is the same if rotated 180 degrees?

The show started about 30 minutes late. The Introductory part included synthesized and amplified compilation of his music driven by a live DJ, with incomprehensible voice-overs by Paul and his wife with some colorful gear animations on the Jumbotron projector screen. Almost Peter Max-esque, like Yellow Submarine. Animation is a penchant of Sir Paul.

This was followed by a video starting with WWII in 1942 and the bombing of England, his birth and early life in Liverpool.

Obligatory history trivia: This most successful musician, and the UK’s first music billionaire, was once a choir boy at his Anglican church in Liverpool. When he auditioned at the much larger Cathedral, indeed the largest Anglican Church in Britain, he was turned down as not talented enough. In 1991, he performed his Oratorio there. The story goes (whether true or not) that when he returned he say the old priest who turned him down. When Paul asked if he remembered him and what he’d said, the reply was “Yes, and because of it you went on to become a Beatle!”

There were then photos of the Quarrymen then the Beatles at the 1964 Ed Sullivan Show (I remember watching it) and then Wings. Then various tours followed by the 9/11 concert in NY, Live 8 in Hyde Park, London and his huge concert Live in Red Square, Moscow. (Back in the 1960’s, the Beatles had been forbidden in the Soviet Union.)

Yet another history trivia: When Paul performed his previous tour in Rome, they build a stage over part of the floor of the Coliseum. An historical first!

The show began in earnest 45 minutes late, thanks to security scans of all attendees. And it began with a surprise, though a very logical one – as we were asked to Roll Up, Roll Up For the Mystery Tour

• Magical Mystery Tour

This title track to the album of the same name began with a live lighted stage floor lit up like a pinball machine. It was the most high-tech stage I’d seen. It appears to have been a 24 x 24 matrix of square LCD screens which could display colors and even animated pictures on the flat stage that extended to the back and curved up to a vertical back drop to the drum set. By the way, the Beatles coach (bus) tour from the Liverpool Tourist Information Center is called The Magical Mystery Tour.

Paul introduced the “US” show with “We have come for many miles to rock you tonight — and rock you we will!” The crowd went wild.

The next song was:

• Flaming Pie

This song is from his album of the same name

• Jet

The bass was overwhelming, even through my ear plugs. After too many years of concerts by The Who earplugs have become required.

Paul then said, “We’re gonna play some new songs and some old songs. The next one definitely falls into the later. If you remember it, you weren’t there.”

• I’ll Get You (in the End)

This is a song he’s never performed live since the Beatles. He followed this with, “Here’s one we performed at the Super Bowl”

• (Baby You Can) Drive My Car

There were two lava lamps next to the keyboard set. Foreshadowing?

“We performed in Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues clubs in Liverpool. We wanted to do the cabaret clubs — probably because they paid better. But you had to do a smoochier set.” So he played:

• Till There Was You

This is Paul’s old cover from “The Music Man” this time accompanied by an accordion! And I thought it was the case: Use an accordion, go to jail. It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law!

Abe his drummer said “Hello Denver, it’s good to be back. You’re looking good. Are you ready to rock?”

Thunderous affirmative from the crowd.

• Let Me Roll It

Which was followed by a guitar riff Jimi Hendrix “Foxy Lady.” Then:

• Got To Get You into My Life

Where the horns, of course, were synthetic but every note,which is burned into our engrams was perfect.

A piano appears from below the center of the stage. Paul tells us, “It comes up out of a whole in the stage. On the second night of the tour I forgot. I stepped back with my bass and fell in. In slow motion I thought ‘How deep is this hole?’”

• Fine Line

This is the first track of his latest album, <a href=”http://Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, which he was careful to point out. Then back to the old hit:

• Maybe I’m Amazed

It’s easier to track the harmonies — a descending progression — with this band for some reason than on the original album. If he can’t hit all the notes anymore, no one minded.

• The Long And Winding Road

Back to his guitar — and he changed guitar between almost every song — for his solo. Back to before the Beatles. A skiffle song. He said how nice it would be to have the 20,000 backing vocals… we were to sing Whoa-aoo-oo-oo.

• In Spite of All The Danger

• (If You Want Me To) I Will

This wonderful song, from the the self titled The Beatles – but better know as simply the White Album — had never been performed live before. He related the story that he’d met a guy in a Mexican restaurant in Pasadena who told about how his daughter had performed it at her school. Paul made a point to perform it live.

His next song was:

• Jenny Wren

This is an unusually beautify song from his new album, reminiscent of his earlier Blackbird. In a previously published interview Paul said he’s tried to avoid writing songs that sounded like his Beatles music, but no one else does. If they can rip him off, he can do it too. This one was done to beautiful effect. For this song, he was joined by Abe on the drums — a simple beat — and Wix on the accordion.

He told us it was sometimes to remember the words to his songs when he saw banners being waved in the audience. He mentioned one in particular:”My mother saw you at Shea Stadium”

Back to the piano Paul began to sing A love that should have lasted years

• For No One

• Fixing A Hole

Here he did a nice solo, with some modifications — it seemed to avoid some high notes. But nobody minded. This was followed by an introduction to one of the prettier songs from his new album:

• English Tea

In it he mentions “Miles and miles of English gardens.” Veddy British.

“I am proud that I worked in the word ‘peradventure’. I looked it up in the dictionary. It means ‘maybe’. You don’t expect to come to a show like this and learn something like that. I understand that the word is now sweeping the nation”

“I remember writing the following song in our little place in Liverpool.”

• I’ll Follow the Sun

He did the last line 3 times “it’s such a short song that I need to do it again” so he did “Enough’s enough” but the crowd wanted more, so he did it yet again.

“I’d like to dedicate this next song to my lovely wife and our child”

• Follow me (you lead me to places I’ve never been)

While this sounds like a very personal song, I couldn’t help thinking that it also sounds like an Adam Sandler tune. Nevertheless, the LCD floor fired up with sparklers cascading in the back.

“Back in Liverpool, George and I would play this song. It was semi-classical. It was actually classical but we made it semi. It was by J.S. Bach. I took it and years later turned it into this”

• Blackbird

As he sang and played, one could see on his left wrist he wore two white “Lance Armstrong” style bands.

• Eleanor Rigby

• Too Many People

• She Came In Through the Bathroom Window

The crowd went crazy for this last tune. Then he related that with this next song NASA woke up the space shuttle with the following song:

• Good Day Sunshine

Since this concert, his Anaheim concert was beamed into space to entertain the international space station, ISS Expedition 12, to share with them this song and “English Tea”. However, this time the astronauts were awakened from sleep not by recorded music, but by live music, a first.

• Band on The Run

I noticed that each front stage performer had 2 floor monitors — unusual in the day of in-ear monitors — but Paul had 3.

• Penny Lane

Penny Lane is a street in Liverpool, where John and Paul were once waiting in a one-storey building in the middle of the roundabout (rotary for us Yanks) and saw a “banker on the corner,” and “a barber.”

This was followed by:

• I’ve Got a Feeling

“Oh I got a feeling…” Paul said, and when the jet sound came up and you just knew it was going to be:

• Back in the USSR

“Those Ruskies love their Rock. We did it in Red Square,” Paul said.

During the concert, it was more sad than amusing to watch two hyperactive middle-aged women, whose lack or rhythm was rivaled only by their inability to dance, stand up in front of me to rock and/or roll.

Back again to the piano, where they started to sing:

• Baby Face

The crowd seemed confused, until it was abruptly ended with, “Sorry, wrong tune… Here it is:”

• Hey Jude

Many in the crowd came to their feet for the chorus. Paul asked for participation in singing from the top, the floor, men only, women only, then everyone.

But last time, everyone was on their feet singing. The real crowd pleaser followed:

• Live and Let Die

with real multi colored flames. Shades of the Wizard of Oz. What a way to end a show.

Obligatory movie trivia: At the concert in 2002 there were 007 photo clips including Sean Connery, despite the fact that this was a Roger Moore movie. It is ironic that Paul McCartney wrote the theme to a James Bond movie. In 1964’s Goldfinger, Sean Connery chides his golden girl Jill Masterson when the champagne loses its chill that “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done, such as drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!”

He left the stage, only to return for his first encore:

• Yesterday
  
• Get Back

with the whole band. “Thank you Denver. I’ve got a feeling you still want to rock.”

• Helter Skelter

Another encore had Paul returning to the stage in his red t-shirt “No More Landmines.” The band was waving flags: US, Colorado and others.

• Please Please Me

But it was not like the original harmonies with John

Paul then took down house lights and lit one candle on the piano to sing:

• Let It Be

They ended with a fabulous:

• Reprise from Sgt Pepper/Abbey Road Riff/The End

A satisfying show ended at 11:30 pm. But was it as good as the last concert in 2002? It may have rivaled it, but it did not compare. This one was a home run. But the previous concert, the best I’d seen, was a grand slam. But a home run isn’t bad. I could have used more of his Beatles music. But couldn’t everyone?

Perhaps you can only see Paul McCartney the first time, once. This concert had fewer “off” songs than the previous concert. “C Moon” what was with that? And the new songs from his new album were not only almost consistently good, but in a few cases rivaled the quality of his writing from the days of The Beatles.

At 63, it is understandable that Paul’s higher range might not be what it used to be, but I hope he comes back next year and sings to us “When I’m Sixty-Four”.

We’ll still need him, we’ll still feed him, when he’s sixty-four.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood Beatles maniac
www.billpetro.com

Concert Review: Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire at Red Rocks in Denver

Red Rocks above Denver is a natural amphitheater that has been hosting concerts for almost a hundred years and is where the Beatles appeared 41 years ago. Paul McCartney, during his last concert in Denver commented that when the Beatles performed there, they had a hard time finishing their set, due to the elevation. The walk from the parking lot alone is a formidable ascent.

The teaming of these two legendary bands is phenomenal, each performing for over three decades. Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) originally came from Chicago. The band Chicago, I’m not sure where they’re from.

The play list for Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire was essentially the same as their Platinum selling DVD recorded in Los Angeles in 2004 Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire – Live at the Greek Theatre.

Everyone cheered and rose to their feet as both bands entered together to do the Chicago song “Beginnings” with 21 musicians on stagetrading guitar licks between the bands

Already, the smell of burning herbs wafted across the twilight air. By the end of the evening the air was redolent with the unmistakable fragrance of superheated recreational pharmaceuticals.

EWF then did some funky dance music from “We Can Make It Happen” as the bands intermingled sides and shared lyrics.

They slid right into “We can make it happen,” then upshifted into an energetic tune with their trademark high voices.

Philip Bailey, the young lead singer of EWF is local to Denver and said, “Nice to be home. We used to sneak over the fence back there to see Chicago.”

–

Chicago left the stage and EWF opened their solo part of the show with an instrumental of blaring guitars superceeded only by horns gone wild. It was more felt than heard.

Then they did “Party People”, heavy on the thump, that was followed by “Party Like It’s Saturday Night”

The awaited “Boogie Wonderland” was pure discomania.

Philip played the kalimba, a beautiful African thumb piano.

It was a real treat to watch aging boomers recapturing their youth. But the middle aged gent in front of me was dancing to the music in a way that suggested he never had rhythem, even in his youth.

Then EWF did some blues followed by the love song co-written by Chicago’s Bill Champlin “After the Love Is Gone.” He invited the participation of the audience to sing along, and instrumental solos covered the fact that he just couldn’t hit the notes anymore.

EWF did some songs from their forthcoming (on September 20) CD, Illumination

They then did “Hearts Afire ” followed by Philip doing a riff from somewhere “Over the Rainbow” where he hit notes higher than many women I know. What a set of pipes!

This was followed by the Beatles cover “Got to Get You ionto My Life” and “12th of Never.” It was a funkalicious fantasy.

They had 12 people on stage, though only two from the original band: Verdine White and Ralph Johnson. They had 3, count ‘em 3 drum sets — and bongos. Did I mention the cowbells?

–

Following the break, Chicago started their part of the show with a drum duel between their drummer and EWF’s drummer, and were later joined by steel drums by EWF. While there were 8 people on the stage, only 4 were from the original band: Robert Lamm, Walt Parazaider, Jimmy Pankow, and Lee Loughnane.

Then was “Great Shouts of Joy.” Great horns, but Bill Champlin’s weak voice couldn’t hit the notes so he kicked beyond it. Where EWF made up for their lack of precision with energy and enthusiasm, Chicago made up for weak voices with horns and guitars. While the horns were brassy, they couldn’t make up for the missed vocal fidelity.

When Chicago did “Color My World” the crowd went wild, especially for the flute solo.

Phillip Bailey of EWF (mercifully) sang “If You Leave Me Now” as no one in Chicago had the voice for it.

At Red Rocks, the wind came up and microphones got wind blasted.

Chicago did lots of hits from the 70′s. When they sand the lyrics “I Love You, you know I do, you love me too” one longed to have their former bassist/vocalist Pete Cetera on the stage.

They did “I am Alive Again” but not nearly as many people were on their feet as they had been for the entire EWF section. Indeed, while I came to hear Chicago and not EWF, Chicago suffered by comparison following EWF.

Chicago did some hits from their landmark album “Chicago 16″ from 1982: “(Youre a) Hard Habit to Break.” When the sang “Being Without You” it pointed out that the band was without Pete Cetera. Did I mention that? I felt that way more than once.

“Old Days”, good times I remember brought them to their feet again.

When they did “Just You And Me” they covered their weak vocals with improvizational instrumental emblandishment.

The crowd came alive for “Saturday ion the Park”
“Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” then brought everyone to their feet.

“I’m a Man” sounded like a plane taking off.

Chicago’s final song was the rambunctious double hit from Chicago 16 “Hard to Say I’m Sorry/Get Away”. It was a veritable rock-o-rama.

–

EWF joined them for the encore including “25 or 6 to 4″ and “Shining Star” but I did not stay, I’d had enough.

Bill Petro
www.billpetro.com

Concert Review: James Taylor at Coors Amphitheater in Denver

I’ve seen James Taylor in concert about half a dozen times from the Greek Theater in Berkeley to Red Rocks above Denver. This performance at the Coors Amphitheater in the Denver Tech Center was the most relaxed I’ve seen. It is wider than either of the other venues and seemed to add greater intimacy and immediacy to his style. He has a very easy going style with audiences and a relaxed manner but I’ve never seen him so chatty with the crowd. He was cracking jokes, handling hecklers and signing autographs several times between acts and encores.

He began with a relaxed acoustic “Secret Of Life,” then was joined by the band for “Summer’s Here,” where each mention of “beer” in the lyrics brought people holding their Coors beer bottles high.

Andrea Zonn, one of his female singers is also a terrific fiddler. Her Irish tunes were delightful, especially as he performed the unexpected “The River is Wide.”

He performed two of his original pieces that were distinguished by having had Ray Charles cover them: “Nothin’ Like a Hundred Miles” and the mournful “Everybody Has the Blues.”

“Fire and Rain” seemed to be what everyone was waiting for. And “Handy Man” lit up the audience. With 8 instrumentalists and three background singers there were quite a lot on stage. The harmonies were rapturous. He improvised still more beyond his already jazzed up live versions (which you can hear on his Live album) than his studio standards.

At numerous times during the concert he joked with the audience. He talked about his “Elvis collar” that phenomena which occurs when the wind blows your collar up. At another time we couldn’t hear the question from the audience, but his reply was “…their pitching is a little weak, but it’s still early in the season.” When people felt compelled to call out song requests, “Mexico” came out loudest. His reply, “We’ll get to it (holding up his blackboard). See, it’s right down here. We’ll have to get through this crap first though.” Later, when someone was quite insistent about a song he said, “I’m going to do this song instead. It’s really just like that song, except there are some differences, actually it’s not at all like that song. Never mind.”

When he did get to “Mexico” it he introduced his Cuban drummer who dazzled the audience. Following a 20 minute break, he pointed out that to be environmentally friendly the second half’s songs were written on the backside of his blackboard. He performed “Sonny’s Eyes” and a song he said he learned from the Dixie Chicks “Some Days You Gotta Dance.”

His horn section was terrific: Walt Fowler on trumpet and Lou “Blue Lou” Marini on sax and flute — you’d know him from the Saturday Night Live Band and The Blues Brothers.

James’ performance this time of “Carolina” used the backup singers like an a cappella church choir. I’ve never heard it so good.

He did a rather long introduction to “God Have Mercy on the Frozen Man” where he told the background to the story, then got off-track and decided to forget it. He similarly had a long intro to “Line Em Up” discussing the Nixon Whitehouse juxtaposed to the last verse relating to the marriage of 5,000 people by Rev. Moon at Madison Square Garden. He said there was so much matrimonial energy that some of it leaked outside and some people on the street were spontaneously married.

But one introduction caught the crowd by surprise. “This is a song I wrote for my nephew… on the occasion of his birth. It’s been a number of years now. He was named after me and this was intended as a cowboy lullaby” — and now the audience has figured it out — “His grandmother is in the audience tonight.” Could this have in fact been both the grandmother of Sweet Baby James as well as the mother of James Taylor? This performance had an an according and a steel string guitar. Lovely.

He did “Country Road” and donned his electric guitar to play “Steamroller Blues.” It turned into a jam session featuring solos by trumpet, keyboard, and guitar. He ended with “How Sweet It Is.”

The expected encore brought him back to do the old Drifters’ hit “Up On the Roof.” By now, the sky above the venue was dark. As he sang about “the stars up above” a shooting star lit the sky.

He followed this with “Summertime Blues” and left the stage, only to return with another encore and signing of autographs for the front row. A good time was had by all.

Bill Petro
www.billpetro.com