Gig Review " James Taylor " Live - Melbourne 16 April 2024

BenIfin

Roadie
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961
Hey all !

Normally could not be bother doing this ......

Quick gig review.

Last night here in Melbourne my wife and I went to see James Tayler and his All Star Band live at Margaret Court Arena.

My wife is a massive fan and I'm not far behind. She has seen him numerous times and me just the last 2 tours.

Amongst others he has Steve Gadd on Drums and Dean Parks on Guitar and Pedal Steel ... enough said.

I am nearly 62 .... grew up loving and learning classic and hard rock guitar ... did originals for years and nowadays play in a rock cover band and love my modelers etc ... and cranking it out up loud.

But my first introductions to music were the likes of David Gates and Bread, John Denver, Jim Croce, Don McLean etc....

James is - I think now - 77.

His voice is %99 as good as ever ... and omg ... his acoustic playing is off the charts ... no-one and I mean no-one plays or sounds like him ..... his left had is a like an endlessly and effortlessly flowing spider whilst his right hand is a combination of hybrid picking, and strumming and caressing the strings .... it quite literally sounds like 2 separate guitars parts are being played at the same time.

No need to rave about the songs ... thats a given.

But he and his band were sublime.

I've been to a LOT of gigs and majors shows at all size arenas of all the big and small bands.

This was simply on another level.

And for those interested .... no modelers, no backing tracks, no sequencing etc.... and all amps on stage and mic'd up .... %100 real and %100 live.

Putting the obviously magnificent musicianship aside ... the only way I can describe it is that the whole band were playing the song and not just their parts.

Honestly ... it doesn't matter if you play death metal or soft-jazz ... if you get to see him live ... just go and sit there and take it all in ... you will be hearing and witnessing a band and group of musicians that will simply leave you awestruck.

I cannot imagine anyone of any musical persuasion would not be gobsmacked by the whole band and how they worked together,

Oh ... and equally importantly .... the FOH person deserves a Grammy or Emmy or whatever .... far and away the best live sound I have ever heard.

Anyway .... off to see Chris Isaak tonight ... seen him before too ..... should be a cracker.

Ben
 
Wow, good to hear.

I missed him nearby when he probably had Landau with him in the past century... Unforgivable...

I only really got interested after that docu where they prepare at his house/barn, feat. Landau.

Later got a 2nd hand copy of the Live 1993 2CD, which I thoroughly love. Haven't heard too much else. A live DVD too.

I started to more appreciate him when recording myself trying to sing Fire and Rain, a most humiliating experience... :bonk

It's incredible how he (and also Joni, for example) just sing right through anything in a musical way...
 
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