James Taylor makes his way back to Manila stage after thirty years
After thirty long years, renowned singer-songwriter James Taylor has finally returned to the Philippines to serenade his long-time fans with An Evening With James Taylor & His All-Star Band concert, filling the night with a few lighthearted jokes and sweet nostalgic tunes.
The show was opened by singer-songwriter Ice Seguerra and folk singer Noel Cabangon. Seguerra sang covers of hit songs like The Beatles’ “Come Together,” The Carpenters’ “Superstar,” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” Cabangon, on the other hand, sang a cover of Bread’s “Make It With You” as well as his original song “H’wag Kang Mag-alala.”
Together, the pair also performed a medley of Bamboo’s hit song “Tatsulok” and Sampaguita’s “Nosi Ba Lasi” as well as Seguerra’s “Pagdating ng Panahon” and Cabangon’s “Kanlungan.”
Following the two’s stellar opening act, Taylor played his classic hits like “Something in the Way She Moves,” “That’s Why I’m Here,” “Anywhere Like Heaven,” “Never Die Young,” “Country Road,” “Fiddle & Drum,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Handy Man,” “Long Ago & Far Away,” “Mexico,” “Carolina In My Mind,” “Steamroller,” “Fire & Rain,” “Up On The Roof,” “Shower The People,” and “Your Smiling Face.”
Afterward, Taylor and his band seemingly left the stage which left the crowd asking for more as he had yet to perform the hit song “You’ve Got A Friend,” originally written by singer-songwriter Carole King. They eventually made their way back onstage to perform the track from his “Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon” album. This was followed by an encore of “How Sweet It Is” and “You Can Close Your Eyes.”
Taylor’s touring band consists of Kate Markowitz and Dorian Holley on backing vocals, Andrea Zonn on fiddle, Jimmy Johnson on bass, Steve Gadd on drums, Dean Parks on guitar, and Kevin Hays on keyboard.
The first time Taylor stepped foot in the country to bring his music live to his fans was in March 1994 at the Folk Arts Theater, now known as the defunct Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas.
While he was slated to return in February 2017 for a concert tour at the same venue, he later canceled his stop in Manila in protest to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. At the time, he posted a tweet on Twitter, now known as X, condemning the war’s violation of human rights and apologizing to fans who may be disappointed or inconvenienced by the show’s cancellation.
“I don’t think of my music as being particularly political but sometimes one is called upon to make a political stand,” Taylor had said in his post.
Notably, Taylor had struggled with his drug addiction throughout his career and had eventually recovered through years of countless efforts to get better.
The An Evening With James Taylor & His All-Star Band show was held last April 8 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Taylor kicked off the concert tour at the Tokyo Garden Theater in Japan on April 6 and will conclude the show at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia on Sept. 15, totaling 36 nights in 22 cities.