James Taylor, in summer twilight, played the lovely fingerpicked intro to Fire and Rain, a song he has been performing for decades – and the crowd cheered in recognition of a classic. But does the 78-year-old still feel those old songs? He sang them beautifully in his lulling baritone, but perhaps they no longer lift and soothe his heart quite like they do ours. The man on stage in front of Edinburgh Castle seemed at times a heritage act at a heritage site.
Evidence of slick professionalism
The live show had a slick professionalism that at times shaded into tedium. The 11-piece backing band, including four backing vocalists, was packed with veteran sidemen whose smooth virtuosity could sound bloodless. As a result, the set’s better songs were generally those with spare instrumentation. Millworker had an austerity that suited its subject, the soul-crushing exploitation of labour. Taylor’s voice shone in its simple setting – a violin drone and martial beat.
AI visuals clash with civility
If less is more when it came to the arrangements, the same could be said of the presentation. The big screen at the back of the stage displayed a number of AI-looking videos so ugly that they distracted from and undermined the songs they ought to serve. Sweet Baby James deserved better. Such visuals were at odds with a distinctive quality in Taylor’s music and personal presence: a charming civility and avuncular grace.
High points outweigh lows
Carolina in My Mind felt hymn-like, sung in a tight choral group. Carole King’s You’ve Got a Friend, such a standard that it risks staleness, was bright with undimmed sentiment. These highs easily outweighed the evening’s lows. As for Fire and Rain, that was best of all. And yes, Taylor did still feel its desperate ache – or so it seemed when, in the final line, he slightly changed the lyric from the recorded version to “Thought I’d see you just one more time, Suzanne”. This direct address to the friend whose suicide inspired the composition suggested that the song remains as alive for him as it does for the audience, gathered in the gloaming and privileged to hear it.
James Taylor plays the Piece Hall, Halifax, 16 July; then touring until 25 July.
