James Taylor at Chastain

My review of James Taylor at Chastain.
Awesome.
Wonderful.
Loved it.
(No surprise from this huge JT fan.)

Chastain Park, an outdoor amphitheater owned by the city of Atlanta, has been around as long as I can remember. Which is a long time.
It's the rare type of concert venue where you actually have space. Space in front of you, space beside you. Because of the space and the outdoor factor, Chastain has become a place for picnic concerts. You bring a little table, a table cloth, candles, wine and dinner. And you eat under the stars and listen to the concert.

Chastain is where James played last night.
Chastain is where I didn't get his autograph.
Chastain is where I had crummy seats.
Chastain is where President Jimmy Carter and his wife and daughter did not have crummy seats: they sat on the front row and shook James' hand.
Chastain is where President Jimmy Carter and his wife and daughter stood up and moved (danced?) to James Taylor music.

Now James was awesome. He always is. I've seen him in concert 4 times or so since I discovered his music several years ago. His band and back-up singers are fantastic musicians, most of which have been with him for many years. (I saw an article the other day where James attended drug court in Florida, standing in support of one of his long-time back-up singers. He spoke to the courtroom full of defendants with drug charges. He talked to them about being a recovered addict. What a nice guy.)

One thing I paid attention to last night was the audience. I think my friend's comments made me wonder about who the typical JT fan is. Am I one?
(By the way, she sent a text about half way through the night that said, "wake up." haha)

My observations of the typical JT fan:
The typical JT fan is in his or her late 50s. And is middle class. And is nice. The term "whitebread" comes to mind. Well dressed. Nice. Friendly. Well-behaved.
And knows every single word to FIRE AND RAIN.
And is not afraid to sing it.
Both loud and clear.

"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone....."

When James started Fire and Rain, the audience sang so loud I could barely hear JT. I wondered if he could hear us all up there on stage, belting it out.
I bet so.
It sounded wonderful actually. A giant, grand chorus singing together, remembering the time they first heard that song and first realized what the words were about.
Last night we remembered together under the stars at Chastain; it was just perfect.

If you get the chance, go and see JT. And try to get his autograph. And when you do, send it to me, okay?