THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 17, 1996 TAG: 9608170273
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music Review
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 55 lines
In nature, for every action there is a reaction. The same could be said for the Virginia Beach Amphitheater.
This week its stage was heated by the raucous party mood of Jimmy Buffett and his fellow Parrot Heads. The following night, Neil Young and his band of choice, Crazy Horse, practically set fire to the stage with their brand of sparking, electric, feedback-laden rock.
So what's the logical reaction? Mellow down.
There's no one who can do that better than the Master of Mellow himself, James Taylor, as he demonstrated on a pleasant Friday evening in front of more than 15,000 fans.
The crowd didn't just include the Boomer Generation, who have been following Taylor's career from his early Apple Record days to the present. There were also plenty of youngsters, teens and college-age fans.
It seems like mellow doesn't go out of style. The audience loved every Taylor hit and ballad.
With his folksy charm, Taylor can now be called the Jimmy Stewart of rock. Over the years he has ditched his sullen reputation for onstage shyness and reticence. Taylor now presents a down-home persona.
He was animated, joking with the audience and even dancing onstage.
His unique, honeyed voice was there in all its warm, crystal-clear glory. His tender tenor lovingly wrapped itself around such classic tunes as ``Carolina in My Mind,'' ``Handy Man,'' ``Walking Down a Country Road,'' ``Fire and Rain,'' ``You've Got a Friend'' and several new and recent tunes.
That's not to say Taylor's mellow set was a complete snoozer; the affable and lanky troubadour even rocked out a little with a few choice classic songs, including ``Steamroller.''
Besides Taylor's voice and presence, his concerts are a success because of the top-flight musicians and singers he brings on tour year after year. Friday's show was no exception.
His crack band expertly made it mellow when called for and rocked out when ol' James was in a particularly playful mood. The band, a ``Who's Who'' of top studio and session musicians, included drummer Carlos Vega, bassist Jimmy Johnson, keyboardist Clifford Carter and guitarist Bob Mann, along with harmonic backing by singers Kate Markowitz, David Lafley, Valerie Carter and Arnold McCullogh.
The concert was a perfect way to mellow into the weekend and helped to cool off the Amphitheater stage. Sweet Baby James saw to that. ILLUSTRATION: MIKE HEFFNER\The Virginian-Pilot
In Virginia Beach,
James Taylor was a cool breeze after recent acts rocked the place.
With a sense of history - plus some refinement, like his less
reticent stage style - Taylor attracted more than 15,000 fans of all
ages.
KEYWORDS: CONCERT REVIEW by CNB