Carole King and James Taylor Troubadour Reunion Tour Ends

The Troubadour Reunion Tour is finished, but it certainly had a successful life, quite the surprise to many.

When the tour was announced in November 2009, not much was really thought about it by the concert business. Two soft rock legends weren't expected to do extremely well. Sure, their tour could be successful, but it wouldn't be selling out venue after venue and arena after arena.

The concert and music business thought wrong.

In an interview with Carole King and James Taylor, King stated management decided to put Hollywood Bowl tickets on sale first. The first show scheduled at the Hollywood Bowl sold out, followed by a second, and then a third.

The tour started in Australia as King and Taylor had offers to perform there. Their concerts in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan brought in more than 15 million dollars and over 80,000 tickets sold.

The set list of the tour included great songs such as "You've Got a Friend," "I Feel the Earth Move," "It's Too Late," "Fire and Rain," and about 25 more.

Why the tour did so well

James Taylor and Carole King are two of the most important people in pop music history. While people may not understand it (especially the younger generations), soft rock would not be in existence today and many of the newer artists such as Taylor Swift, Jack Johnson, Garth Brooks (if you consider him "newer"), and Norah Jones would not have careers without them.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand why people were willing to give lots of money to see two influential icons live. And with the tour being called "once in a lifetime" (which it most certainly was), people knew this was their one big chance to catch the two greats. But while fans were willing to pay a lot, they didn't have to. Ticket prices were reasonable, and that's how CK and JT wanted it to be.

"They are both quite simply legends," as Matt Lauer said on The Today Show.

Aside from their influence on other artists, their music is obviously amazing. They are masters of the instruments they play and as a result write songs with more feeling, passion, and sentiment than almost anyone else. Their writings are some of the most timeless songs we have. That being said, their contributions to the music industry are infinite.

On top of that, the two offered stage seating with access to sound check, a private reception with food provided, and a meet-and-greet (with autographs!). These tickets were sold through Tickets for Charity. People could purchase these seats and be happy to raise money for great causes such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Alliance for the Wild Rockies, and charities the buyers could pick themselves.

And as stated above, the promoters of the tour knew very well what they were doing.

The tour through an attendee's perspective

I was lucky enough to be able to attend two of the concerts and the whole time was excitement (even during intermission!).

The first concert I attended was the first one they scheduled in the United States, which was their show May 14 at the Hollywood Bowl. Their songs mixed with nice, warm, outside weather really made for quite an experience. Although they were playing songs that were nearly 40 years old (and in some cases nearly 50), there was something that seemed fresh about what they were doing. I don't know what it was, maybe it was just because it was my first time seeing them, but perhaps the ability to make what they do seem new every time is an underlying talent of theirs.

People were yelling out "I love you James!" (during one time King humorously joked "Wonder where your Christmas ham went?") and "I love you Carole!" during the show relatively frequently. I suppose just as long as it wasn't in your ear it only added to the fun.

It's great to see two old, or should I say, experienced, performers do their thing. They have only gotten better with age. They also seem more personable than 40 years ago and show no nervousness at all. And unlike many of the newer performers from today, they connect with the audience without any special effects, pyrotechnics, or crazy stunts. So for no matter how long James Taylor and Carole King perform, they'll always have what it takes to pull off an amazing show.

In all honesty, do you think when the musicians from the newer generations reach 60+ they are going to be able to pull of the stage stunts they do now? See, unlike King and Taylor who are all talent, many (not all) new performers are 75 percent show and 25 percent talent. And people wonder why pop sensations don't last long anymore...

Songs that stick out for me from that concert:

"Blossom"
"So Far Away"
"Honey Don't Leave L.A." (the first song that in a sense "rocked" everyone)
"Sweet Seasons"
"Jazzman"
"I Feel the Earth Move" (another rocker)
"Mexico" (pictures with Spanish vocabulary were flashed on stage, which I found cute)
"Chains" (couples started dancing in the aisles with each other on this one, even though the lyrics go "my baby's got me locked up in chains... these chains of love won't let me be")
"Sweet Baby James"
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
"Crying in the Rain"
"How Sweet it Is (To Be Loved By You)" (quite a fun one that allowed for a lot of audience participation, and once again another rocker)
"Up on the Roof"
"You Can Close Your Eyes" (allowed for a lot of emotion)
"Locomotion" (Possibly one of the best songs they could end on due to its ability for great audience participation and ability to get everyone on their feet, moving, and dancing, and probably the biggest rocker of the night)

Definitely a great concert. It was one of those "you had to be there" occurrences. Those who attended can try to put the experience into words, but that wouldn't even come close to how it really felt to be there. I was in the fifth row, so I don't know if that made the experience feel better than if I were in the upper sections. I felt like I was actually a part of the performance.

Another thing: when I was there, I was too busy living in the surreal moment than to remember it all. You know when you wake up from the best dream ever and soon after you forget how it was? It was sort of like that. I wish I had remembered more. But despite that, I still remember some great parts, and a good amount, of what happened.

Also, JUDGE JUDY and her HUSBAND were there, in the same row as us. Across the aisle and maybe fifteen seats down. I couldn't tell if other people recognized her, and I was too shy to ask for an autograph. Now, if those two people weren't Judge Judy and Judge Jerry Sheindlin, then they do the best impersonations of them in existence. Coincidentally Mrs. Sheindlin and Ms. King were both born in 1942.

The second time I saw CK and JT was in Oakland on July 19. This time the stage was in the center of the Oracle Arena. This show also felt fresh, even though I had seen them only two months before.

It was great seeing James poke some fun at introducing band members, particularly Lee Sklar. "He came from the forest," said Taylor, pointing out Sklar's very long beard. "Also, it's important not to make direct eye contact with him," he added. Lee Sklar played along and the audience was erupting with laughter.

Early in the show, James mentioned how with all the songs they wanted to play, the concert was originally six hours long. But based on the applause, the audience wouldn't have minded.

At this performance, people once again shouted "I love you!" It seemed as if people would shout it to Taylor, then the shouts directed at King would soon join in. I guess audience members were having competitions with each other.

Songs that stuck out for me:

"Something in the Way She Moves" (which replaced "Blossom")
"So Far Away"
"Happy Birthday" (No, they didn't sing it, James Taylor said "There's a birthday here tonight" without disclosing a name. He then put a tiny music box up to the microphone and wound it to play the song. Immediately after he gave a witty response of "It's a shame how machines are taking over music")
"Mexico"
"Natural Woman"
"Sweet Baby James"
"Crying in the Rain"
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
"Only Love is Real"
"I Feel the Earth Move" (I honestly thought she was going to fall down on that one; I don't think I've ever seen a 68-year-old grandma in high heels, from what I heard are four or six inches high, throw her legs into the air like that)
"You've Got a Friend"
"How Sweet it Is"
"Up on the Roof"
"Close Your Eyes"

Songs they played at the Hollywood Bowl that I noticed were not performed at the Oracle Arena: "Honey Don't Leave L.A.," "Chains," and "Locomotion."

So they didn't play "Locomotion" to close the night. It was an amazing show either way (although seeing Carole and James and the backup singers dance around stage to that song is always a treat). And on "Close Your Eyes" Carole King rested her head on James Taylor's shoulder, a scene that resembled the cover of their new Live at the Troubadour album which debuted at #4 in the US and has sold over 400,000 copies (Waitin' for that gold certification... Any day now!) So it was a cute finale. They kind of seem like teenagers with how they act... Very mature teenagers, that is.

James Taylor's wit and comedy and Carole King's energy were AMAZING. And their band and backup singers were great as well and fun to watch. It really is remarkable how they all handle themselves comfortably on stage and appear to pull of everything so perfectly. They all definitely exert professionalism to an amazing degree. And the people behind the scenes also must have worked harder than one can imagine.

Hey, I think I have the solution to any war: just have Carole King, James Taylor, their band, and their backup singers show up and perform some songs.

Troubadour Reunion Tour-A Future?

The tour was a major success, so it's always good to try to extend that success. There will probably be a CD/DVD released of the tour, and of course that will be a big seller. Why couldn't it reach #1? If Their Live at the Troubadour album was released just one week later, it would have reached the top spot by a margin of 18,000 copies (they would have beat out Justin Bieber). The music business has been seeing a slump this year, but as proven before, Carole King and James Taylor seem to go against that slump.

King and Taylor believe the show in Anaheim on July 19 was it for the tour. However, in an interview with Billboard that landed them on the cover of the magazine, Taylor said there will be single concerts from time-to-time (yay!) and a European tour may be possible (Quintuple yay?). So there is a future in them performing together. Maybe they'll do the Hollywood Bowl again. Or Madison Square Garden. The three performances there brought in over 5 million dollars.

But wouldn't it be great for them to do Europe? How great does "Carole King and James Taylor in Paris" sound? Or London? Please tell me this wasn't their last tour! If they make a European tour in the summer, I know I'm not the only one who will do his or her best to get there (I'm sure there's cheap airfare and hotel rates somewhere on that side of the Atlantic).

Article update:

Live at the Troubadour has since been certified gold in the United States for shipments of over 500,000 copies.

Estimated Tour Statistics:

Tickets sold: 700,000
Revenue produced: $60 million
Money for charity raised: $1.5 million+
Concerts performed: 57
Songs played: 1500 (it might be a few hundred more, but I'm just playing it safe)

Sources used in this article:
http://www.antimusic.com/news/10/july/20Carole_King_and_James_Taylor_Troubadour_Reunion_Comes_To_An_End.shtml
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/94501799.html?elr=KArksD:aDyaEP:kD:aUnOiP3UiacyKUnciaec8O7EyUr
http://www.billboard.com/features/james-taylor-and-carole-king-craft-season-1004104859.story
http://www.ticketsforcharity.com/james-taylor-carole-king/2010/troubadour-reunion-tour-vip-tickets-stage-seats.asp
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3ie30e47167303d76ad11b8b60f776c736
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/charts/chart_alert/e3i66e6b9942a0b821fa6858744e9c32599