A few weeks ago James Taylor told me, in an interview for the Newcastle Herald, that if he was meant to do anything in this life, it was to perform live.
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"Being a performing musician is my anchor, it's the thing that tethers me, mostly, it's as real as this life gets," were his exact words. On Saturday night at Bimbadgen in the Hunter Valley he lived up to them.
I already knew Taylor was a "thinking songwriter's" songwriter, revered for his storytelling in songs like Fire and Rain and Sweet Baby James. I knew that his guitar playing, while sounding simple, was in fact deceptively so (it takes skill to play the way he does ... effortlessly caressing and plucking the strings in such a way that it sounds as if two guitars are being played).
What I didn't know is that he was - is - an engaging and generous performer and a quietly humble man. His respect and gratitude for his All Star Band and back-up singers was from the heart, and he took the time to introduce them to the audience one by one.
I didn't know he had a quirky, almost self-deprecating sense of humour. It's so subtle at times you don't know if he's joking or not. At one point Taylor, who had been constantly adjusting the stool he was perched on in front of the microphone, said dryly and without a hint of a smile that he had earlier had trouble with a stool of his and had been trying to "work it out".
There was a notable pause before some audience members tittered, others laughed out loud, others simply looked at each other, not knowing if he had meant it as a joke or not. I still don't know.
"For a while I was writing songs where I was whining and complaining, mostly about my own success," Taylor said on another occasion, citing as examples Company Man, Fading Away and a song he then proceeded to sing, Anywhere Like Heaven.
"I'd been trying to get people to notice me for 15 years and then I was complaining about it when they did. Crazy, huh?"
He contorted his face while singing Steamroller Blues in what was a parody of an over-the-top blues singer (at least I think it was a parody ... as I said, you can't always tell if Taylor's being serious or having a lend). It added an element of fun to the performance because, let's face it, his songs aren't known for their unicorns and rainbows.
Taylor's casual conversations with the audience between songs were also well received. Prior to singing the opening song, Something In The Way She Moves, he told us he had a "particular fondness for the tune. It got me my first record deal" and continued to talk about his audition for Apple Records in the company of Paul McCartney and George Harrison in 1968.
He told us Handy Man by Jimmy Jones was about a jigolo - and laughed - before singing it.
That's Why I'm Here was about the loss of his "dear friend" John Belushi who died of a drug overdose in 1982 ("For me it was a wake-up call from my own addiction").
"I did write one song about Australia: Yellow and Rose. People are sent somewhere for punishment but it turns out to be paradise."
The words to Sweet Baby James came into his head as he travelled to meet his newborn nephew who had been named James ("I was moved by that").
Audience reactions to his songs were very personal. Some yelled out their gratitude when "their" song was played. Some turned to their partner and shared a moment. Some danced, some were visibly upset. These are songs, stories that have meaning for people. They are a reminder of loved ones lost; of days both dark and light; of heartbreak and hope.
Fire and Rain was touchingly beautiful and prompted an almost hushed crowd singalong. We felt the longing in Carolina In My Mind, a song about Taylor's home state of North Carolina. We shared the love by clapping along to Shower The People.
Mexico, Copperline, You've Got A Friend ... covers of Up On The Roof (Carole King) and How Sweet It Is (Marvin Gaye) ... the list goes on.
It was a night for lovers of music, of lyrics, performed by a master of his craft on his last ever tour of Australia. Taylor, take a bow.
The support acts complemented Taylor's body of work hand in glove. Ella Hooper was first on stage and her folksy set revealed a country edge to her voice that works. I look forward to hearing more of her solo material.
Next up was Josh Pyke.
"It's a pleasure to play for music lovers at a day on the green. It's a dream gig for me," he said. His cover of New Slang by The Shins ("Perhaps my most favourite song of all time") was stunning.
A wordsmith for the modern age, his poetic, thought-provoking lyrics paint images in your mind and make you feel.
