James Taylor and Jackson Browne in concert at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans was another moment to feel comfortable about maturing. Looking slightly older than 73, James Taylor exuded acceptance for where he is in life with an abundance of positivity. Jackson Browne’s white goatee aged his appearance beyond his 73 years, but there he was still representing Boomers who are still rocking it.
The audience that came to see James Taylor with opening act Jackson Browne was more diverse than one might have expected considering that both artists are 73.
There were fans who needed the aid of a walker. There were a few fathers with their sons or daughters who wanted to share their past with their children. And I’m sure there were a few cases where the fathers felt like they were exposing their kids to good music compared to the music they listen to today. There were younger couples that discovered the songwriting talents of two iconic artists whose prime preceded their coming-of-age years.
At one point, an older gentleman was so moved by the music of James Taylor that he got up and was dancing in the middle aisle on the floor. The applause at the end of that song was not only for JT, but also for the gentleman who, through his dancing, reflected the youthful spirit that still lives in Boomer rockers.
Prior to the concert, I openly admitted that I was more interested in seeing Jackson Browne than James Taylor; but in the end, I was captivated by JT - his music, his stories, his sense of humor, and his ability to make the audience feel an intimate part of the concert.
Jackson Browne skipped playing a few of my favorites - “Somebody’s Baby,” “Stay,” and if he played “Tender Is the Night” I somehow spaced out and missed it. Jackson Browne was good - but it was James Taylor who defined the experience.
Opening with his hit “Country Roads,” JT began a journey through his major hits and also a few songs that were obviously personal to him. One of my favorite James Taylor songs is “Her Town Too,” which he didn’t play, but he played most of his memorable hits.
As JT talked about the reasons for writing his songs, you were drawn toward the lyrics and the meanings. When he played “Fire and Rain” without a story you found yourself still intently focused on the lyrics.
“I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain-I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end-I’ve seen lonely times when i could not find a friend-but I always thought that I’d see you again.”
I thought about how much more those lyrics mean to everyone today than when we first heard that song. I’m sure those lyrics and the meaning of that song, as well as so many of his songs, have much deeper meaning today than when they were written by a much younger James Taylor who had fewer life experiences.
There was a comforting and positive spirit about JT. He just made you feel good to be alive. Not all of his original fans were there. A close friend of mine bought tickets two years ago and passed away last year. He wasn’t there in person; but I know he was there in spirit with his wife, who was there for what was a bitter-sweet experience.
JT mostly played acoustic guitars, but for one song he was handed what seemed to me to be a Fender solid-bodied electric guitar. He looked at it and said to the audience, “This is an electric guitar. It came after the steam-driven guitar. And before that there was the horse-drawn guitar.” JT’s sense of humor, some of it self-deprecating, was endearing.
The musicians in JT’s band were all exceptional individuals and collectively presented a band that knew how to play rock softly without losing the sense that it is rock. The tall, GQ model type who sang backup vocals with JT turned out to be James’ son, Henry; and you could tell that he was not there just because his father was on stage. Once we knew that was JT’s son, the gestures they made to each other were more touching. He was proud of his son, and it was obvious that Henry was very proud of his old man.
James Taylor and his band left the stage, but the lights were still dark and stage crew members were scurrying around the stage making it obvious that an encore was still to come. As the audience continued its non-stop applauding and the illumination of cellphone lights waving in the dark arena, James Taylor and his band returned to the stage for an encore.
And then the unthinkable! A few songs and the encore was over without JT doing “You’ve Got A Friend.” The band all gathered in the front of the stage holding hands and bowing and the lights came up. That is the definite sign that the concert is over.
The applause continued and James Taylor went around and appeared to whisper in the ears of each individual band member as if to tell them we can’t leave now and we have to do a little more. JT invited his friend, Jackson Browne, to the stage who joined James in singing a song from early in Jackson’s career. It was a song he wrote with Glenn Frey when Jackson was a member of The Eagles and James and Jackson did The Eagles’ early hit, “Take It Easy.” The crowd loved it!
And then the moment we had all been anticipating - James Taylor, joined by his wife, son, entire band, and Jackson Browne, performed “You’ve Got A Friend.” As we witnessed the performance of that classic, we all felt like we all had a friend on the stage reassuring us that life was good and things were returning to normal and that getting older and having memories is good, especially if you keep the spirit that going to live concerts still nourishes.
I did think about how ironic it was for such a gifted and prolific songwriter as James Taylor to have a huge hit with a song written by another songwriter. Carole King wrote “You’ve Got A Friend.” But maybe it takes a songwriter to really recognize a great song.
I know I’m not alone when I say I left that concert feeling not only very positive, but also enlightened; and once again the sense that the inevitable maturing process in life can be more of a celebration than a depressing thought was rekindled in me.
