James Taylor Live at the O2 in London review by Ryan Beardsley
It’s been a busy summer so far, with some incredible live acts playing across London’s finest venues but in all honesty, I think the summer peaked last night at the o2 with James Taylor and his All Star Band. As time makes fools of us all, the opportunity to see genuine living legends gets smaller shrinks with each passing year, but tonight we have just that.
The man has lived an extraordinary life, and the first few songs are dedicated to his early struggles with addiction talks about his struggles with addiction and the first few songs are recovery tunes, culminating in a performance of Rainy Day Man that truly resonates.
A pure showman, I could listen to him tell stories as much as listen to him sing, with the odd moment of silence between songs punctuated with screams of “I love you!” to which Taylor always had a witty retort.
His band are incredible, the clue is in the name, but there are moments where the supporting cast threaten to steal the show, Dorian Holley has a voice that deserves it’s own platform and on Mexico he is electric, whilst Michael Landau on guitar is a true master with a less is more approach. There’s also a family affair as vocal support comes from his son Henry amongst others, in truth the whole band play like a family.
The setlist is a combo of greatest hits and fan favourites but to be fair the band and Taylor could be playing the names out of a phonebook and it would probably sound great. Shower The People with its eternal optimism suits the occasion and the artist perfectly, we all know he’s got a great cover version in him, his version of Buddy Holly classic Everyday is a perfect start to the second set.
Copperline showcases how the man is a master storyteller, pulling you headfirst into his life, before one of the all time greats, a song not written by him but for him; You’ve Got A Friend. It’s an unforgettable moment and I can feel the goosebumps rising on my arms even as I remember it, we’re witnessing true greatness and we all know it.
Carolina In My Mind is another stone cold classic, justice is done to it here with his amazing vocal support, but even at 78 years young his voice is full of character but gentle enough to cut through and leave London in awe. Fire and Rain is a triumphant, show stopper and leaves the audience utterly transfixed and hoping the show would never end.
A welcome encore and cover of Marvin Gaye classic How Sweet It Is sees Taylor hopping around the stage like a man half his age before he says goodbye with You Can Close Your Eyes, a timeless love song that people will still be listening to in 100 years if we’re still around.
Tonight has been a true privilege for the 20,000 or so, young and old in the o2 arena, this one will stay with everyone for a long time to come.
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