James Taylor - Live at the Beacon Theater
Performance
Production
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James Taylor - Live at the Beacon Theater
Performance
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New York's Beacon Theater is the ideal setting for a James Taylor concert and this DVD brilliantly shows why. A theater of this style and size brings a unique intimacy between the performer and the audience and this is evident by Taylor's frequent banter with the audience, and the way he seems to be enjoying himself onstage. The warm and dynamic acoustics which this theater imparts were captured impeccably on this DVD, and are presented in one of the finest Dolby 5.1 mixes I have ever heard. Live At The Beacon Theater showcases 25 song performances that go all the way back to Taylor's early 70's classics, and all the way up to his Grammy Award winning Hourglass album of 1997. He also mixes in a few interesting cover songs, including two from Buddy Holly. Taylor appears in excellent spirits this evening. His usual shy and reserved persona is clearly evident but he easily disarms the adoring audience with his charming between song chatter. However, like myself, the audience didn't come to hear Sweet Baby James talk, they came to hear him sing and pick that guitar of his, and he absolutely delivers. Taylor's vocals have never sounded better, and he had an amazing sounding band backing him on this show. He took some liberty with the arrangement of some of his classic songs, most notably on a somber version of "Fire And Rain" that only included Taylor on the acoustic guitar, accompanied by some excellent cello playing. Most of the song performances were exceptional, and ranged from stripped down, acoustic guitar numbers with only Taylor's guitar and vocals, to full blown productions including every member of his band. A few of the songs sounded uninspired and fell a little flat, when compared to the original versions, but this was hardly noticed among all of the other great performances. On "Shower The People", the male background vocalist handles the middle vocal section of the song and gives a dramatic, gospel-inspired vocal performance that made this old classic sound fresh. "Steamroller Blues" closed out the first set and featured Taylor playing a pretty impressive harmonica intro. This performance was a little bit lighter and more improvised than some other versions I have heard. The production on this DVD was nearly flawless. The video was not reference quality, as there were some minor flaws that a discerning eye might notice, but the picture was consistently clear and detailed, and brilliantly presented the bright and colorful stage design. This was originally filmed for a PBS television program, so the stage and audience lighting was a little brighter than what a normal concert would be, probably to appear clearer for TV. I don't particularly like this use of extra lighting, as I prefer the authentic concert environment, but it was done fairly well here. The 5.1 surround mix provided one of the best live theater concert presentations that I have ever heard on a DVD. The full surround field was used perfectly, and the instruments all sounded clear and sharp. The rear-speakers were used affectively to project the audience sounds, the background vocals, and to provide theater ambience. You could close your eyes and easily imagine being in that theater listening to the music. The disk includes some excellent special features, including two full length videos for "Copperline" and "Enough To Be On Your Way", lyrics to all of the songs performed, a full discography, biographies of Taylor and most of the band, and more. The "Copperline" and "Enough To Be On Your Way" videos were excellent additions, especially since Taylor did not perform them at the concert. These are two of his very finest newer songs that I wish would have been performed live as well. "Copperline" was a simple video, featuring Taylor singing the song while standing around a campfire. "Enough To Be On Your Way" is a haunting and moving song that was based on the events surrounding the death of Taylor's brother, in 1993, and the journey his friends and family made to see him off. The actual events were fictionalized into a story about a girl named Alice, played by Barbara Hershey in the video, and took place in Santa Fe. The New Mexico scenery provided a stunningly beautiful backdrop for this enchanting little video. If you have never been to a concert in a venue as grand as the Beacon Theater, then get this video to experience the magic. James Taylor's music comes alive here, and nearly jumps out of the screen with this outstanding presentation. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - May 2004 |
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Running Time: 120 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - October 2003 |