Concert Blog Joseph Procida RUID #132007731 Fall 2014
I attended the James Taylor concert at PNC Bank Arts Center which was performed July 17, 2014. James Taylor entered the stage at the beginning of the performance and waved as he greeted the audience's applause. He made his way to his guitar and took his usual seated guitar strumming position, ready to sing songs and tell stories as if he were in an intimate setting and not in front of an audience of thousands. James Taylor’s music is intimate and performed with an expressive voice and his style seems to be a mix of country, blues and folk rock and is very easy listening music that would sound just as good if it were played on an acoustic guitar alone.
James Taylor was born in Boston…show more content… The members of the band consist of drummer Steve Gadd, guitarist Michael Landau, Lou Marini on woodwinds, Walter Fowler on trumpet and electric keyboard, Luis Conte, percussion, Larry Goldings, keyboards, Jimmy Johnson, bass guitar, and vocalists, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller and Andrea Zonn (also on…show more content… That made the audience feel closer to the artist because the set list is not information usually disclosed to the audience. After the first set James Taylor sat on the stage edge and during entire band break he signed autographs and shook hands with everyone that approached the stage.
In the second set, James Taylor added nonsense syllables into the lyrics of "Steamroller" extending the song time beyond the studio version and putting more energy into it and the audience responded by clapping to the music. James Taylor sang his hit songs and he also added some recent compositions like “Stretch of the Highway” which is similar to his other songs but was also a new sound for the audience.
The PNC Arts Center is an appropriate venue for James Taylor since he draws a very large audience and he has performed there previously. The acoustics in the orchestra seating were good but not as good as the recorded versions and I think the acoustics in the lawn seating areas were probably even