James Taylor Summer Tour

Sweet Baby James has announced a series of US dates for the summer.

Dates are:

Wed 06/20/12 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
Thu 06/21/12 Syracuse, NY Oncenter Complex
Sat 06/23/12 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sun 06/24/12 Portland, ME Cumberland Co. Civic Center
Sat 06/30/12 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena
Mon 07/02-04/12 Lenox, MA Tanglewood
Fri 07/06/12 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa
Mon 07/09/12 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion At Nautica
Thu 07/12/12 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Sun 07/15/12 Memphis, TN Mud Island Amphitheatre
Tue 07/17/12 Springfield, MO JQH Arena
Wed 07/18/12 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Fri 07/20/12 St. Louis, MO Fabulous Fox Theatre
Sat 07/21/12 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
Mon 07/23/12 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Passes for JT's shows always fly out the door. Don't wait; request yours right now!

Member Review: James Taylor and Carole King

BPD member Boy@Heart shares:

It took them 40 years to tour together but the wait proved to be worth it.

James Taylor and Carole King, who first performed at the Troubadour in 1970 during King's breakout solo performance before her 1971 landmark album, Tapestry, reunited for six acclaimed shows in 2007 to celebrate the legendary L.A. club's 50-year history.

The duo since regrouped this year for the so-called Troubadour Reunion trek - "an intimate and an in the round" affair.

Taking the circular, slowly rotating stage in the middle of the arena floor alone, the 62-year-old Taylor and the 68-year-old King held hands and took a bow before being joined by their original 1970 bandmates - bassist Lee Sklar (celebrating a birthday Friday night), guitarist-producer Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, who introduced Taylor and King "In 1903" as Taylor joked, and drummer Russ Kunkel.

"The thing that makes this reunion tour the real deal for me is we've got the original band, the original guys," Taylor told me before going on. Rounding out the lineup was keyboard player Robbie Kondor and backup singers Arnold McCuller, Kate Markowitz and Andrea Zonn (also on violin). I asked him how they settled on the setlist. "When Carole and I first sat down to make a set list, it would have been a seven-hour show. There were so many songs that we had to pull out of the original set list, it was heartbreaking, like sending the kids off to camp."

Taylor, on acoustic guitar, was clearly in better voice of the two singers, with his trademark warmth evident on the concert opener Blossom, compared to the weaker-sounding King on piano, on the follow-up So Far Away.

After the show, King confessed to me "As you can probably tell, I wasn't at full voice tonight,"

She eventually gathered strength on Way Over Yonder and Smackwater Jack, the latter for which she joined Taylor on acoustic guitar, happily jamming side by side with him.

But it wasn't until (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman that King really hit her stride, playfully vocalizing with Kortchmar on his electric guitar before a 20-minute intermission.

She powerfully kicked off the second set with Where You Lead (I Will Follow), and singing - and snuggling - with Taylor on Cryin In The Rain, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, You've Got A Friend, Up On The Roof and You Can Close Your Eyes, the latter two during the encores.

The duo was nothing if not approachable and they seemed to be genuinely having fun and affectionate together as Taylor often rubbed the back of King's head or kissed her forehead

Shared history aside, it helped that they have been on tour together since March in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, before hitting North America in May.

Taylor's song highlights were numerous - Carolina In My Mind, Country Road, Mexico, Shower The People (which saw King join the backup singers including McCuller who delivered a staggering solo), Your Smiling Face, Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain and How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (the latter two the biggest crowd pleasers).

Taylor and Kortchmar also showed off their blues guitar chops on Steamroller Blues with Taylor hamming it up by using his guitar as a cane at one point and over-emoting at the end, hiding his face behind his hat in mock shame.

For her part, King consistently radiated health, happiness and a soulful, earthy spirit with a big, broad smile all night long and even kicked up her heels for I Feel The Earth Move towards the end of the second set.

All in all, a feel-good show if there ever was one.

SET LIST:

Blossom

So Far Away

Machine Gun Kelly

Carolina In My Mind

Way Over Yonder

Smackwater Jack

Country Road

Sweet Seasons

Mexico

Song of Long Ago/Long Ago and Far Away

Beautiful

Shower the People

(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman

INTERMISSION

Where You Lead (I Will Follow)

Crying in The Rain

Your Smiling Face

Sweet Baby James

Jazzman

Will You Love Me Tomorrow

Steamroller Blues

It's Too Late

Fire and Rain

I Feel the Earth Move

You've Got a Friend

ENCORE:

Up on the Roof

How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)

SECOND ENCORE

You Can Close Your Eyes

Way to go, Boy@Heart. Aren't you the oldies freak?

Nothin' quite like being backstage. Find out for yourself. Join BPD today.

Troubador Reunion Confirmed for the U.S.

The Troubador Reunion is on. Originally scheduled for Australia and Japan, James Taylor and Carole King have now booked a series of dates here in the US beginning May 7 in Portland.

The set list will include a breadth of material including songs they performed during their 1969 debut show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, which helped propel them both to the world stage.

The idea for the "Troubadour Reunion" tour came together in 2007 after Taylor and King performed at the famed Los Angeles venue for the first time since 1969 to celebrate the Troubadour's 50th Anniversary. The shows sold out immediately and garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike.

"When James and I first played together, we connected immediately, both musically and personally, with an effortless, comfortable familiarity," says Carole King. "After we reunited in 2007 with Danny Kortchmar, Lee Sklar, and Russ Kunkel, the original band from our early Troubadour shows, none of us wanted the fun to stop. We can't wait to bring our Troubadour Reunion tour to the States."

"This tour, our Troubadour Reunion, has been waiting to happen for a long time and the years seem to have vanished, where does the time go?" asks Taylor. "When we reunited for the Troubadour's 50th Anniversary celebration, it felt like yesterday. It was and still is all about the music and the songs that we get to perform together."

Here are the dates and venues:

Fri 05/07/10 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena

Sun 05/09/10 Seattle, WA KeyArena At Seattle Center

Tue 05/11/10 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion At San Jose

Thu 05/13/10 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

Fri 05/14/10 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

Sat 05/15/10 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl

Wed 05/19/10 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena

Fri 05/21/10 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center

Sat 05/22/10 Nashville, TN Sommet Center

Mon 05/24/10 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena

Tue 05/25/10 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center

Thu 05/27/10 Auburn Hills, MI The Palace Of Auburn Hills

Fri 05/28/10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

Sun 05/30/10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center

Wed 06/02/10 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena

Thu 06/03/10 Duluth, GA The Arena At Gwinnett Center

Sat 06/05/10 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center

Sun 06/06/10 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum

Tue 06/08/10 Washington, DC Verizon Center

Thu 06/10/10 Philadelphia, PA The Wachovia Center

Sat 06/12/10 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena

Tue 06/15/10 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Arena

Sat 06/19/10 Boston, MA TD Garden

Sat 07/03/10 Lenox, MA Tanglewood

Sun 07/04/10 Lenox, MA Tanglewood

If you want to see these two legends from the intimacy of backstage, you'll need to act early. Make your requests today. Not yet a member? That's easy to fix.