You've got a friend - James Taylor at the Colonial Theater

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The story behind the song.. The Legendary James Taylor: One Man Band at the Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. July 20 [Summer] 2007.

COLONIAL THEATRE James Taylor's "One Man Band" Show July 20, 2007 review by SETH ROGOVOY, editor-in-chief and critic-at-large, BERKSHIRE LIVING Magazine .

(PITTSFIELD, Mass., July 21, 2007) -- It's fair to say that the six-hundred or so lucky souls who were at the Colonial Theatre last night -- the second night of a two-night stand
of his "One Man Band" show -- had never seen James Taylor perform in such intimate confines, and likely never will again.
Taylor, who typically sells out large theaters of 3,000 or more and summer sheds before 20,000 people or more (he'll be at Tanglewood before approximately 18,000 folks on August 24th in a show that was sold out MONTHS ago), rented out the Colonial for two nights in order to film the "One Man Band" Show he's been touring for the last year and a half for potential release on DVD [producer and director Don Mischer/Sydney Pollack].
Taylor is always a voluble performer, peppering his shows with quirky asides and poignant stories to accompany his songs. But in this show, the stories, asides, and multimedia segments (slide shows and videos) almost get equal billing to the songs, so that by the end of the evening there's no question in anyone's mind that Taylor is as he seems -- intelligent, quick, witty, even with a bit of an impish streak.
His stripped-down arrangements featured just himself on guitar and Larry Goldings on a variety of keyboards, with occasional augmentation by the pre-recorded Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the accompaniment of a Rube Goldberg-like drum machine on two numbers, including a rapped version of "Slap Leather" that Taylor spoke-sang through a megaphone. Very cool.
The nature of the program called for Taylor to emphasize the folkier, more acoustic part of his repertoire, so a few of his major pop hits, including "Your Smiling Face," "Mexico,"
and "Handyman" were missing in action. Instead, concertgoers got a trip down memory lane with plenty of his early folk-country favorites, with complete elaborations. Taylor was humble in his appreciation for folks like Carole King and the Beatles, who played key roles in jump-starting his amazing career.
Taylor barely missed a note all note, and his guitar work never sounded more clear and commanding. And for those who ALSO have tickets for his show at Tanglewood, fear not -- you won't see the exact same show. Taylor has some BIG surprises in store for that night....

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[lakecharlesfrankie]

Love this song. James and I are the same age so I remember it vividly. I have always been a fan of him and also of Carol King. So many of Carol's songs are great. Saw this on PBS last weekend and was so upset that I did not record it. Thanks for the posting.

[JoshwaBurke]

One of my musical idols! Beautiful perfomance

[bobdudeaz]

Wow.....sitting around a big fire in the desert...a couple guitars...singing every JT song.....winter, spring, summer, or, fall you've got a friend!

[cafebear11]

Just magical, thanks so much for sharing the video.

[BLUBLOOMY]

See you soon in Lucca (Italy)!!!!!!!!!

[pontepolentepontepi]

Beautiful, Amazing Man !!!***********