Covid ruined many things, including the concert schedules of many artists. For a while it looked like live performances were a thing of the past, but things are getting better. Last night I had the chance to see the great James Taylor one more time and cross the great Jackson Browne off the “See Them Before They Die” tour list.
My love for the music of James Taylor goes back so far I don’t remember when it started. I know we had a copy of his “Greatest Hits” on 8-track that was on constant play in my youth. It eventually got upgraded to CD. Then in 1977 someone in the family picked up “JT,” which also got an insane amount of playtime. So impressed was I with “JT” that I then picked up the follow-up, “Flag,” on 8-track and listened to it in the car quite a bit my junior year in high school.
And that was it. I never bought another James Taylor album since, aside from the James Taylor/Carole King live CD I downloaded for The Wife a few years back. I never stopped liking James’ music, I just stopped buying it. I don’t know why, I’m just like that.
The first time I saw James Taylor live was the previously mentioned tour with Carole King. That was quite a show. We went back to see him a second time when he was touring with Bonnie Raitt, but Bonnie had to cancel that night and James put on another really good show. I wasn’t necessarily interested in seeing him a third time but I did want to see his opener.
My love for Jackson Browne I have a much clearer record of. As I was getting ready to go off to college my father wanted to get me a small TV for my dorm room. I did not want a TV. Too big a distraction. College was going to be hard, right? So I told him I wanted a stereo instead. He bought me a nice console with a turntable and 8-track player. I could now record my albums onto 8-tracks. This was a big moment.
To break in my new stereo I purchased Jackson Browne’s “Running On Empty.” What a wonderful album that is. I was hooked, and like many a young college student with too much hay-hauling money, I went to the record store and stocked up. I bought his debut album and “The Pretender” and his new album “Hold Out” and enjoyed them all. My first roommate in college looked a little like Jackson Browne and hated his music, so I had to be careful when I played it. We only lived together 1 semester.
Not sure why, but I skipped “Lawyers in Love” but did purchase “Lives In The Balance.” And that was it. I never bought another Jackson Browne album since, aside from a Greatest Hits CD since all my JB music was on vinyl or 8-track. I never stopped liking Jackson’s music, I just stopped buying it. I don’t know why, I’m just like that.
I was supposed to see JB in concert back when I was living in Kansas City in the early ’80s but something came up and I gave the tickets to Ward. It was an outside venue and it rained that nice so I didn’t feel quite so bad about missing it. I did feel kinda bad for Ward. Despite many opportunities since to see Jackson, I just never got around to it until now.
So going to concerts in the age of Covid has its share of hassles. First you have to go online and fill out a form saying you’re vaccinated and showing them your vaccine card to prove your not lying. It’s not a difficult procedure but it can be time consuming if you forget your cell-phone number and type in the wrong one, or you click the “me only” button and not the “me and family” button, which then requires you to have your wife fill out a form for herself.
We were told to wear a mask at the venue. Which I did, until I got to my seat. I’m not going to wear a mask for 3 hours at a concert. I wasn’t the only person who felt that way. No one told me to put my mask back on or told me to leave the venue, so fights were avoided.
I’ve been having issues with my feet for some time. I’ve been to 2 doctors who offered no help. Yesterday was an exceptionally bad day for my right foot, so I would like to take a moment to thank Laura for her incredible patience as she walked with me as I hobbled from the Union Station parking lot to the Enterprise Center.
We got there an hour early, which was probably a mistake because my butt was really hurting from sitting in those chairs for so long. And of course there’s no leg room which means no foot room so it was not the most comfortable evening. Adding to the displeasure were a pair of assholes sitting behind us who talked throughout the show, the woman who wouldn’t stop dancing sitting one section over, and the woman who kept yelling “We Love You Jackson Browne!” and “These Days!” over and over.
Sometimes I forget why I stopped going to concerts. And then I go to one and am reminded.
The concert was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. and Jackson took the stage at 7:29 p.m. I love classic rockers. They are so old now that they want to get done and get to bed at a decent hour just like the rest of us. He did a solid 1-hour set, mixing old and new tunes. James came out at the end to join him on “The Pretender” and “Running on Empty.” It was good to reconnect with a musician I had once had great love for.
James returned about a half-hour later with his “all-star” band. It was a good band, but I don’t remember who any of the all-stars were. It was another solid set, heavy on hits but with a handful of deep cuts as well. Jackson came out during encores for a rousing rendition of “Take It Easy,” then James assured us that we have a friend and with that, the evening was over.
I eventually hobbled my way back to the car, where to my pleasant surprise no one had broken out the windows. Fortunately it was not too cold, nor was it raining.
The RROY REPORT 