James Taylor at the Mountain Winery

James Taylor, from Covers and Other Covers CDs

(JT's own music > covers)

Mountain road leading to the venue

View from the top (a little hazy, still beautiful)

Empty, but not for long

Close-up of our bleacher seats, upper left

(not a bad view in the house)

Even better at night

On stage at the Mountain Winery

One more view (not our concert, but shows the place's charm)

So long to a beautiful spot, until the next time...

I love James Taylor, and I've seen him perform many, many times in many, many venues. This one is in the top two, for sure. What a beautiful, intimate setting for a concert. The weather was perfect, the crowd was friendly, and the air was sweet. (It got sweeter after JT started singing.)

Seriously, that man's voice hasn't lost a thing. In fact, I think it's improving with age (kinda like those grape products produced at the Mountain Winery). And he sang all the favorites, of course, including Fire and Rain (my personal choice), You've Got A Friend (by Carol King), Sweet Baby James, Secret o' Life, Carolina in my Mind, Mexico, Shower the People, and more. He also sang the best version of Steamroller I've ever heard him do (this guy can sing blues like few others) and favored us with old covers like Handyman and How Sweet It is and new ones like Roadrunner and Why Baby Why. I much prefer his own work, but anything Taylor sings sound good to me, even Hound Dog, which is saying a lot because I'm not a big fan of Elvis.

My theory is this: something about James Taylor's tone balances the chi. I mean it. That voice of his goes right to the core, and all is right with the world. Which is why his audiences are some of the happiest people you will ever sit next to...especially up in the beautiful mountains of Northern California.

Wish all of you could have been there.

Sure glad I was. =)