Colosseum show scaled down, but fit for King

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Aug. 23, 2004 | 8:19 a.m.

There were no dancers, elaborate costumes or even an orchestra. Saturday's headliner did not make use of Dion's giant LED screen, nor did her show feature cast members soaring through the air, suspended from on high.

Carole King never even pulled back the Colosseum's massive curtain.

Instead, the visiting singer-songwriter performed near the foot of the stage, with a modest setup that included a couch, a coffee table and several low-lit lamps.

At points throughout her two, one-hour sets, King brought out two guitarists who doubled as backing vocalists.

The rest of the time she played alone, sitting at a Yamaha grand piano and filling the cavernous theater with her treasured songs.

In contrast to Dion's string of consecutive sellouts -- a streak dating to the opening night of "A New Day ..." in March 2003 -- the Colosseum was not filled to capacity for King.

But the 3,000 or so fans who showed up for the last night of the New Yorker's "Living Room Tour" reacted with gusto, applauding the start of each familiar number from her catalog and rising for three standing ovations.

Of course, cuts from King's 1971 masterpiece "Tapestry" -- "So Far Away," "It's Too Late," "You've Got a Friend" and "Beautiful" among them -- drew the most excited reactions.

The 62-year-old performer even joked about her legacy as something of a one-album wonder.

"How many of you know that I've made an album since 'Tapestry?' " she asked.

Throughout the night, however, King proved that she never lost her songwriting powers, even if FM radio lost track of her long ago.

The show featured songs from popular films ("Now and Forever" from "A League of Their Own") and television shows ("Where You Lead" from "The Gilmore Girls"), along with a dramatic recent number that showed off a darker side of King's writing (1993's "Lay Down My Life").

King also reminded the crowd of the many enduring classics she has penned for other artists, offering up her own renditions of the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday," Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" and the Drifters' "Up on the Roof."

Later in the first set, she strung together a medley of 1960s hits co-written with ex-husband Gerry Goffin during their Brill Building days, including "I'm Into Something Good" (Herman's Hermits), "Hey Girl" (Donny Osmond) and "One Fine Day" (the Chiffons).

King then transitioned into an emotional rendering of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?," a song made famous by the Shirelles and one of the concert's true highlights.

Not everything King tried worked. An impromptu songwriting demonstration gradually unraveled, ending with King and her musical partners, Gary Burr and Rudy Guess, settling for an unsatisfying update on "Happy Birthday."

Most of the time, though, King demonstrated that her intimate approach could translate in a mid-size venue.

Though limited in range, her raspy voice remains timeless and expressive. Her piano work was also impressive, be it a light touch on ballads or a thundering presence on upbeat material.

She changed clothes just once, during the intermission, going from a dressy three-piece black pantsuit to a casual outfit -- jeans, a tank top and white knit shawl.

King, who campaigns regularly for presidential candidate John Kerry, avoided partisan politics. Instead, she spoke about the importance of participation, urging unregistered voters to visit a "Rock the Vote" booth in the lobby on their way out.

"Don't make me come after you," King warned with a smile.

She also offered support for a favored piece of environmental legislation, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. King did her homework, thanking Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley for signing on as a co-sponsor and asking fans to write letters to congressmen Jim Gibbons and Jon Porter to get them on board.

It was a heartfelt plea from a rare musician who has made it by putting honest emotion far ahead of showmanship.

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