STILL CAPTIVATING WITH A MELLOW GENIUS

James Taylor brought the baby boomers and their families out in droves at Wolf Trap’s massive Filene Center Aug. 21 and did not disappoint.

During a night of nostalgia beneath the stars, the icon who rose to fame in the 1970s delivered old favorites mixed with lesser-known tunes. He was surrounded by four incredible backup singers – his son Henry Taylor, Kate Markowitz, Dorian Holley, and Andrea Zonn – and is All-Star band, including Lou Marini and Max Darche on horns, Larry Goldings on keyboards, and Luis Conte on percussion. Taylor, in all humbleness, introduced each one and either hugged or shook their hand.

Although Taylor’s (now 77 year-old) baritone is not quite like it used to be, he more than makes up for it with his consistently clear and melodious guitar licks and a witty, playful stage presence. Far from the serious, brooding Taylor of his past, he sprinkles in sometimes self-deprecating jokes into his set. For example, when explaining when he penned “Carolina in My Mind,” he said he was watching the sun rise, waiting for a ferry to a European island in 1903. In response to applause after taking off his jacket, he quipped that the audience was starved for entertainment and should get out more often.

Taylor started off with a string of what he called “traveling road songs,” including “Wandering,” a cover of Jr. Walker’s “I’m a Road Runner,” on which he expertly played the harmonica, “Stretch of the Highway,” “My Traveling Star,” on which Andrea Zonn played beautifully on the violin, “Mexico,” and “Carolina in My Mind.”

Behind him, a video montage of traveling was projected on a Jumbotron.

To the audience’s delight, he sang two Carole King songs: “Up on the Roof,” which she originally wrote for The Drifters, and “You’ve Got a Friend” – telling the audience that King wrote “You’ve Got a Friend” in response to his lyric in “Fire and Rain” that says, “I’ve seen lonely nights when I could not find a friend.”

These tidbits of backstories are treasured by loyal fans who’ve been following him for decades.

Taylor went on to sing fan favorites “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire and Rain,” “Shower the People,” and “Your Smiling Face.”

For his encore, he broke out the electric guitar for a rousing version of “Steamroller,” during which he jumped around the stage like a man years younger than himself. He then sang “How Sweet it is To be Loved by You” and ended the enchanting evening with a duet with his son, Henry – “You Can Close Your Eyes.”

Taylor’s performance at Wolf Trap has become an annual event in late August. If you missed this one, just high tail it to next year’s. You won’t be disappointed.