Monday, August 31, 2009

Hail James Taylor

I've been a James Taylor fan for years, but never more than now.

We went to his concert at Tanglewood yesterday, which was a perfect event for someone in my situation.

First, is was a matinee, so I didn't have to struggle to stay awake. Next, he actually did about a half-hour's worth of extra songs because he heard a lot of people got stuck in traffic and missed the beginning of the show. And amazingly the sun shone most of the day.

He also displayed some humility, reminding the crowd it was OK to leave if they'd had enough of him as he launched into his second hour of singing. Not sure the last time I heard any humility from a performer at a concert.

He also donated some/all of the proceeds to Tanglewood, to help keep the important music tradition alive. The Berkshire venue is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and lots of important music education. And he sang many of his old songs, like Sweet Baby James, On the Roof, etc.

Also need to mention that we got free tix, thanks to our friend Melissa Rifkin and her boyfriend Matt. Thanks Mel and Matt.

One of his new songs contained what sounded like some important words to live by: "The key is life is enjoying the passage of time.''

Wonder how you do that?
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3 comments:

  1. mumseyAugust 31, 2009 at 5:52 PM

    I wondered if you were there..Rich and I were as well, and saw a "neighbor" who lives in the next town over. I wish we had seen you and Emily! In any case, it certainly was a beautiful day for outdoor music. Glad you had a good day out :)
    Cheers-Buff

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  2. mumseyAugust 31, 2009 at 5:58 PM

    P.S. Put Leonard Cohen on your list. We saw him in Austin and he was totally awesome. I think he's touring Europe now, and who knows if he'll be doing more tours, but if he is, be sure to go.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2009 at 10:58 PM

    I'm so glad to learn that you were at the concert. We were there with "the gang" on Saturday, and I was thinking of another time when we were all together for the Temptations et al, and missing you guys. But I knew it would be too late. Mateo fell asleep too.

    It also was a great concert, and the third time I've seen him over 30+ years. I was truly amazed over the quality and strength of his voice. It really didn't seem to have changed at all.

    Oddly enough, I saw Leonard Cohen about 35 years ago too.

    It's great when the strength of someone's heart truly carries over the divide of celebrity.

    PJ

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