Monday, Oct. 13, 2003 | 8:15 a.m.
Not that I don't enjoy his music. But after spending the day helping a friend lug furniture into his new house, I worried that two-plus hours of Taylor's mellow brand of music might lull me to sleep right in my seat.
As it turned out, though, the show at Mandalay Bay Events Center had plenty of energy to keep me awake and alert into the late hours of the night.
Playing the role of storyteller, Taylor infused his performance with enough of his personality and dry wit to spellbind a crowd of nearly 10,000.
And at age 55, the legendary singer/songwriter proved that his golden voice -- and his beloved songbook -- have easily stood the test of time, which is something that can't be said of most of his contemporaries.
Taylor's vocal purity was evident almost immediately, once his sound crew tweaked the microphone levels to boost his vocals during opening number "First of May." Taylor then shined on the delightful "Something in the Way She Moves" off his 1968 self-titled debut album.
"I feel fine anytime she's around me now," Taylor crooned softly in his Cape Cod-meets-Carolina intonation, as his fans swayed comfortably in their seats.
Best of all, Taylor's band truly defined the word "backing." The 10-member supporting ensemble showed restraint all night, harnessing its instrumental firepower and never coming close to overpowering the main attraction's voice or careful guitar picking.
And Taylor rewarded his bandmates in kind, regularly stepping back and giving them ample space to stretch out for solo work, be it a jazzy keyboard piece by Larry Goldings or a burst of electric guitar from Michael Landau.
Unlike many leaders who introduce their band at once, Taylor credited his musicians one by one throughout the show, turning a normally tired tradition into a pleasant part of his act.
"A great, great singer, and a bit of a skanky whore," was how Taylor described violinist and backing vocalist Carmella Ramsey, to her apparent surprise. As the stunned Boomer-dominated crowd howled with laughter, Taylor gave Ramsey a hug to let her know it was meant in jest.
And after another of his trio of signers, Arnold McCuller, stepped forward for some soulful harmonies on "Shower the People," Taylor joked: "Arnold McCuller sounding good ... maybe sounding a little too good."
Taylor's best-received songs were his best-known 1970s classics such as "Fire and Rain," "You've Got a Friend" and "Carolina in My Mind."
But newer compositions -- 1991's "Copperline" and "Shed a Little Light" among them -- also found a welcome audience. As Taylor himself pointed out, he hasn't strayed far from his successful formula over his 35-year career.
"We have some old stuff to do for you, and we have some new stuff, too. They sound just like the old ones, except that they're new," Taylor deadpanned.
Taylor played five songs from last year's "October Road," his most acclaimed CD in more than a decade, and also debuted "Bittersweet," the new track on his latest best-of compilation.
"We just released another greatest-hits package," he said, slapping his forehead in mock surprise. "This is the very, very, very best of the very best. I swear to God it will never happen again."
The concert's second set lagged a bit initially, the result of stacking three less familiar, recent numbers after the break.
But the mood picked up again with a sprightly three-song medley capped off by "Steamroller," Taylor's celebration of the blues.
As Walt Fowler (trumpet) Lou Marini (saxophone), Goldings and Landau traded licks, Taylor contorted his face into a succession of silly expressions. He also manipulated his vocal octave in a way more typical of a grizzled blues hound than a once long-haired, sensitive singer/songwriter.
As for the deep brown locks that once graced the cover of "Sweet Baby James," those are long gone. Taylor's head is mostly bald, surrounded by a graying ring that recedes a bit with each passing tour.
But Taylor seems remarkably comfortable with himself, and that ability to age gracefully may be just one more trait that keeps his fans turning out.
And if you closed your eyes during the show's finale, "Sweet Baby James," you could almost imagine a 20-year-old Taylor sitting on that stool, singing those touching lyrics:
"Maybe you can believe it, if it helps you to sleep. But singing works just fine for me."
It still works just fine for us, too, James.
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