(editor’s note – Kim Carnes was originally scheduled to open, but canceled.)
Taylor mellow but wry in concert
by Steve Webb, The Knickerbocker News, June 23, 1981
James Taylor has won over audiences at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with his professional, lively and varied blend of folk, pop and rock styles on the concert stage.
In his third consecutive year appearing at the center, the mellow-voiced singer exhibited all of these qualities, in addition to a wry wit that seemed at times to lean toward morbidness. “We must pay tribute to the immortal Hank Williams – that means he’s dead,” Taylor deadpanned in his introduction for “Hey, Good Looking,” and similar remarks dotted his talk with the audience
Over 9,500 attended the concert, a figure lower than what he drew in 1979 and 1980, mostly because of the rain during the afternoon and the threat of it during the evening. Reserved seating had sold out more than a week ago for the concert, bolstered by interest in Taylor’s latest album. “Dad Loves His Work.”
He gave a thoroughly professional, engaging show, bolstered by a crack band of Los Angeles finest musicians-for-hire. Ex-Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne provided the most sparkling moments among this group, but the whole unit worked well: guitarists Waddy Wachtel and Dan Dugmore, bassist Leland Sklar, drummer Rick Marotta and percussionist/manager Peter Asher.
Taylor began with softer material, although he never strayed from his acoustic guitar even at the rockiest points in the evening. One early number that was particularly effective was a spiritual-style version of “Get a Job,” featuring two harmony vocalists and spare guitar accompaniment.
Dugmore added a special flavor to “Sweet Baby James” with a pedal-steel guitar part, only to break out a banjo for the next song. The whole band joined the pair for “I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” and “How Sweet It Is,” the latter being a 1975 hit for Taylor years after Marvin Gaye did the original.
“Hey, Good Lookin’ ” featured well-integrated vocals, but it is another instance of Taylor resurrecting an old song and doing it much slower than the original. “Up on the Roof,” dedicated later to everyone on the lawn at the center, must have lasted 1 1/2 minutes longer than the Drifters’ original, without adding a note. And it was much slower on stage than on the record.
From “Dad Loves His Work,” the highlights included “Hard Times” and a stunning version of the single “Her Town, Too.” The sadness of that song reached out and grabbed the listener, far more than it does on record or radio.
The show lasted just over 2 1/2 hours, spread over two sets. Wavering at times from his veneer of professional polish, he ended the regular set with a rocker called “Precious Money, “in which he refers to an older song in the line “I used to talk about the Secret of Life, but I sold that too.”
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