Friday, August 17, 2007

Man, that guy can sing!

Seriously ... am I the only one singing "Heaven Knows" to myself this morning, trying to get the certain rasp in my voice just right?!

Needless to say (as you all told me months ago), Taylor Hicks put on an amazing show at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center last night here in Poughkeepsie.

More of a jam session than your traditional rock n' roll concert, Taylor and his band played for about 75 minutes, barely stopping for a breath in between songs — an almost nonstop jam from start to finish.

Belting out the hits from his self-titled CD that we all know — songs like "The Runaround" and that infectious "Heaven Knows" — he also peppered in covers of the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" and his encore, Supertramp's "Take the Long Way Home," among others.

While he didn't sing "Do I Make You Proud," the single that was more or less forced on him when he won the finale of Season Five of "American Idol," that sappy song wouldn't have fit in well with his soulful performance, so it wasn't really missed.

(Janice from Hopewell Junction was kind enough to send me Taylor's set list from last night, and I'll post that here later. Be sure to check back!)

What was pretty refreshing was seeing a guy who won individual fame and glory on "AI" often deferring to his five band members, giving each of them the spotlight throughout the show, even if it meant stepping almost completely off stage during a song to give each individual player his due.

As for his own musical ability, Taylor shined on the harmonica (seen below in a lil' video I snapped from the third row), wailed on the guitar, shook that tambourine like a Polaroid picture and even threw in a little cowbell.



And his fans??? Wow! That's a dedicated bunch! They came early, they danced and you could tell Taylor appreciated the support, several times thanking the Soul Patrol in Poughkeepsie for all they've given him. (No word, though, if he took up the offer to eat at the 84 Diner.)

Taylor danced right along, moving and grooving with the music as if possessed by it. If you thought all those gyrations on "AI" were just for show — perhaps a ploy to win more votes — think again, because you could see him feeling the music, almost note by note.

After the show, he rewarded his fans for their support by signing autographs for about 50 of us (you read about that, right?) despite an increasingly thunderous downpour.

For someone who wasn't sure about Taylor Hicks' staying power a few months ago when the show was announced, I was thoroughly impressed, if not hooked!

Followed only by my man Barry Manilow, Taylor ranks second on my list of solo acts I've seen live ... yes, even ahead of Britney Spears, who I've seen twice.

Rock on, Soul Patrol! Rock on!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

SOUL PATROL!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I've heard that Taylor sang an Elvis song last night. What and how was it? And I was right....Sean....congratulations! You have been Taylorized!!!

Anonymous said...

you are the COOLEST dude! Cheers to you Sean!

Anonymous said...

WOW!! What a great review!! But one thing... I need more HARP!!..Do you have anymore goodies that you can share?..SOUL PATROL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

He was great. His band is great. His opening act was not to my liking at all and was a half hour of torture for me. And the woman should watch that crossing and uncrossing of her legs when she's wearing that skirt.

Anonymous said...

omg!! I know. I don't know who she was or where she came from. And the skirt...some decorum please! It's not strip show!

What was funny, but also made me feel sorry for her was the fact that when she said that Taylor would be out in a few minutes, there was a collective groan from the crowd that they had to wait for her to finish even more songs.

Anonymous said...

I. LOVE. IT.

You have now been Taylorized! Fun, eh? Next thing you know, you'll be traveling halfway across the country to see him again and again. :)

I hope you get an accurate setlist (there has been some contention about it this morning - some of us take that thing way too seriously, me included).

To the person who asked: Taylor sang quite a bit of That's All Right during The Runaround. Very awesome.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reply, AmyH. I'll bet it was awesome. I hope somebody got in on video.

Anonymous said...

Has he ever sung "Midnight Train to Georgia"? I'm not familiar with what he plays on tour, but I was thinking to myself that it would have fit in just great and I think he would have done a great job singing it too.

Well, there's always next time :-)

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the club, man. Taylor Hicks is right where he should be, on stage singing his heart out.

Anyone that wants to see more of Taylor go to YouTube search for the channel Boogie Best, or just search for Taylor Hicks and sort by date to get lots and lots of tour footage.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the FABULOUS review, Sean. Taylor's shows "rock". The band members are skilled musicians. I am waiting anxiously for next weekend's shows in Clearwater & Orlando!

RagsQueen said...

Welcome to Taylor world! Thanks for helpfing to spread the woo! Sounds like you might be ready to join the Traveling Circus for a few more concerts with Mr. Hicks! His shows are like potato chips - one is just not enough!

SOUL PATROL!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Dude...you can hang with us ANYTIME! Woohoo! Soul Patrol!

Anonymous said...

I too was always impressed with Taylor's willingness to share the spotlight with his band. I find it very telling the way he often walks over and watches Josh Smith, his guitarist. The boy is always studying music. And it IS all about the music for him.

By the way, Sean...I'm sending out a prayer for Britney. I think she could use all our prayers right now.

Anonymous said...

Sean , thanks SO much for your great blog and your reviews of Taylor. I saw something special in Taylor that I can see many others have too. He has music in his veins and a wealth of creativity that only a few can portray.
To him it seems each show is a new canvas. I believe that every so often you see a little bit of musical genius history and Taylor knows when that happens. I feel that is what drives him in the same way as an artist is driven to create another painting. This may all sound a bit too hi'falutin' for Taylor...who just seems to love doing what he does and does it with such crafts-manship. Taylor is changing peoples views of him, as he says in his own words "..one soul at a time "

Anonymous said...

Sean, I think you described perfectly how we all feel about his music - welcome to our world of "Modern Whomp"!!

nys1emt

Anonymous said...

I am so glad that you enjoyed the show last night Sean! Now you can see why we all adore Taylor Hicks!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your great review we really enjoyed reading it! Taylor really has the best fans!! SOUL PATROL!

Anonymous said...

Sean... So good for you to become a fan! Thank you for promoting Taylor in the way you have. You will now be as addicted as the rest of us!

Teri

Anonymous said...

I have been following your blog to see what your reaction to a Taylor Hicks concert would be. Welcome to the family! Taylor Hicks is an amazing performer, excellent musician and a really good guy. I am really happy for you Sean ...Taylor will continue to bring you many smiles ..and in today's world ...how cool is that??