SWEET ELDER JAMES

James Taylor’s Fourth of July Tanglewood concerts are not just concerts—they are events fraught with tradition, nostalgia, and humanity. This year was the 50^th anniversary of the 77-year-old Taylor’s first July 4th concert at Tanglewood and thousands (reportedly 18,000; roughly 5000 in the Koussevitzky Music Shed and the remainder on the lawn) showed up to mark the event. Those on the lawn arrive hours in advance, coolers, chairs, and low tables in tow. Many bring table linens and elaborate accoutrements, including a surprising number of candelabras to ornament their picnics on Tanglewood’s broad expanse of tree-ringed lawn, which includes space reserved for children at play. Even those bound for seating in the shed often arrive early to secure parking and avoid the inevitable traffic jams in the small town of Lenox, whose population is only slightly more than a quarter the size of the audience.

Tiny Habits opens for James Taylor

This year’s event occurred over two evenings rather than just one night, as in the past. Thus this concert—Taylor’s 51^st appearance at Tanglewood—makes him one of the artists who has appeared most frequently at this summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The concerts marked the culmination of a world-wide three-month tour that included stops in Tokyo, Manila, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

Tiny Habits performs at Tanglewood

The opening act, Tiny Habits, is a folk-pop trio of Boston’s Berklee College of Music students and alums, that will accompany Taylor for subsequent US tour dates this summer. Their harmonies were gorgeous, but the pain of providing an opening act for a very big star was evident in their performance. I’ve never seen so many apologies on a stage this big—apologies for possibly boring the audience or for writing songs that are sad. I hope this promising young trio will step up to the opportunity afforded by this tour to embrace their talent and appeal.

Taylor offers a model for such young success. Since the release of his first album in 1968, he has sold more than 100 million albums and earned multiple Grammys and numerous other awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama. Last night’s concert, a satisfying mix of old and new, started with Taylor sitting alone on the stage under a single spot with an acoustic guitar. He began to sing “Wandering,” and gradually the lighting revealed the rest of his All-Star Band, a distinguished assemblage of musicians and back-up singers who Taylor did not hesitate to acknowledge and praise.

Andrea Zonn, Jimmy Johnson, Henry Taylor, and James Taylor

His baritone has thickened a bit, but it is still strong and clear and a pleasure to listen to. His stage presence is confident, relaxed, and warm. Despite the date of the concert, the only nod to patriotism was “America the Beautiful,” and the only acknowledgement of our current political predicament was when he introduced “Up on the Roof.” He said it was written by his friend Carole King, and then added, “No Kings,” which was met with an explosion of whoops and a standing ovation.

James Taylor and his All-Star Band perform at Tanglewood

Other than that, Taylor, who has known more than his share of personal struggles, focused on the need for kindness and compassion in his renditions of songs such as “You’ve Got a Friend.” He explained that King told him she wrote that song in response to his “Fire and Rain,” which includes the line I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend.

Numerous other highlights included “Shower the People You Love With Love” and “Whenever I See Your Smiling Face.” In the encore, Taylor unleashed his inner hard rock bluesman on “I’m a Steam Roller Baby,” with guitarist Michael Landau and an extended version of “How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You,” with the entire All-Star Band, including Lou Marini on a sax solo.

Henry and James Taylor

The evening ended with Taylor and his son Henry Taylor, who is one of his back-up singers, and his wife Kim Taylor along with Tiny Habits to sing “You Can Close Your Eyes,” which includes the line you can sing this song when I’m gone.

But hopefully that day, in the ultimate sense, is a few years away, as Taylor closed with a promise to return to Tanglewood next year.

photos by Hilary Scott