(editor’s note – Kim Carnes was originally scheduled to open, but canceled.)

James Taylor Shines in Saratoga Opener

by B.K. Marquard, Rutland Daily Herald, June 25, 1981

A barefoot and casually dressed James Taylor ambled out onto the stage some 20 minutes past the concert’s scheduled starting time.

The lack of spotlights and fanfare deceived most of the audience into thinking Taylor was just another lackey adjusting equipment, so the lanky songwriter was strumming a guitar center stage before the gradually swelling applause alerted the outer fringes of the audience that tonight’s entertainment had arrived.

“Kim Carnes couldn’t make it tonight,” Taylor told the audience, “so I guess I’ll have to open for myself.”

Carnes, whose latest single, “Bette Davis Eyes,” has topped the national record charts for six of the last seven weeks, cancelled out as the opening act for Monday night’s concert, but the audience didn’t seem to mind, as Taylor opened the concert with solo acoustic versions of “You Can Close Your Eyes” and “Carolina On My Mind.”

As Taylor worked his way through the 15-song first set, he gradually added backing musicians and vocalists until the eight-member backing ensemble was complete.

The band included such luminaries as ex-Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne and Peter Asher, of Peter and Gordon fame. Asher, who spends his time these days producing albums for the likes of Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, played various percussion instruments in Monday’s concert.

Also in Taylor’s back-up band was the eclectic studio and performing guitarist Waddy Wachtel. Wachtel, whose onstage antics are almost as renowned as his playing, was confined to a chair because of a broken foot.

Through the hour-long first set, Taylor mixed songs from the early part of his career with traditionals such as Hank Williams’ “Hey Good Lookin'” (“Williams is an immortal … that means he’s dead!”).

Taylor also introduced three songs from his current album, “Dad Loves His Work.”

“We’ve got a new album out — we generally do,” Taylor said, “We’ve been rolling around the country trying to shove it down people’s throats.”

The singer received the first of three standing ovations for the night when he closed the first set with his classic first hit, “Fire and Rain.”

The song, which Taylor wrote for a friend he had met during a stay at the McLean mental institution who later committed suicide, is perhaps the one song most admirers identify the songwriter with.

Taylor earned his early audience appeal through the combination of his anguish-laced lyrics delivered with an arresting southern nasal twang.

The appeal was evident in the crowd of 9,500 that braved an early evening downpour and tornado warnings to watch Taylor perform, hanging on to each lyric, some singing along while others clapped or swayed to the music.

Also evident in the crowd was the broad appeal Taylor has built, as the audience age ranged from children who no doubt had not yet been born when Taylor first hit with “Fire and Rain” in 1969, to senior citizens who were probably contemplating retirement when a teenaged Taylor was contemplating suicide at McLean.

The second set leaned more on material from recent years, and was sprinkled with a few numbers such as “Steamroller Blues,” that allowed the band to strut its stuff.

In a recent interview, Taylor lamented his superstar role in today’s high-paced music business.

“Being a celebrity is not so great a gig … celebrity always misses the point, and you end up disappointing the people who thought you were what you never said you were,” Taylor told an interviewer.

If there were any disappointed James Taylor fans at Monday’s concert, they kept their feelings well hidden.

The rest of the audience, meanwhile, lit the obligatory matches and kept a standing ovation going until Taylor returned at the close of the 2 1/2-hour concert for two encores.

Teary eyes abounded as most of the audience swayed and sang along with Taylor’s rendition of Carol King’s “You’ve Got A Friend.”

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