Review - James Taylor & Jackson Browne @ the Chase Center (10/29/21)

James Taylor @ the Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating)

San Francisco was abuzz as Halloween weekend kicked off this past Friday night with not one, but two major concert events on opposite sides of the city. On one side was the first day and the return of the Outside Lands 3-day music and arts festival, and on the other was the nearly sold out Jackson Browne / James Taylor show at the Chase Center. The two shows and their audiences couldn’t have been more different. Luckily for me, I was more interested in the subdued classics from Taylor and Browne and that’s exactly what the pair delivered to the approx. 19,000 of us in the audience at the Chase.

Jackson Brown @ Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating)

Jackson took the stage at exactly 7:30pm and wound through an 11-song setlist that included his hits spanning his 50+ year career, as well as a few off his latest album, Downhill from Everywhere. And interspersed throughout, Browne reminisced of his time in San Francisco — with what even sounded like a little bit of regret having never moved to the Bay Area back when several of his friends did. He spoke of hitchhiking to San Francisco back in the ’60’s from southern California even before he’d visited Los Angeles; and before launching into the song, "The Dreamer", Browne spoke of how his great grandmother immigrated from Scandinavia and how he was introduced to the San Pablo-based Los Cenzontles through Linda Rondstadt, an organization that teaches immigrant children about their heritage through art and music.

Jackson Browne @ Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating)

Jackson was backed by a 7-piece band that included two background singers, Chavonne Stewart and Alethea Mills, who were my favorite part of his set. Don’t get me wrong, everyone on stage was an incredible talent, but Chavonne’s solo had my body covered in goosebumps. Her voice filled the cavernous Chase Center and just blew me away.

James Taylor @ Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating)

James Taylor was up next and took the stage at just about 9pm. He was also backed by a huge 12-piece all-star band that included 5 background singers — one of which was his son Henry. Considering Taylor was the formal headliner, his stage was much more extravagant than Browne’s. A large tree rose from the left side of the stage and an elaborate lighting system doubled as leaves of the tree to create the sense that we might be outside in a forest grove. At the back of the stage was a giant screen that provided additional visuals mixed with live video feeds for the folks up in the nose-bleeds 200-level.

James Taylor @ Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating)

Taylor, like Browne, was just as chatty in between songs and even quite the jokester… In one case, Taylor spoke about John Belushi’s death while dedicating “That’s Why I’m Here” to the late comedian. Belushi’s passing was a wake-up call for Taylor who changed his ways and congratulated those in the audience also battling addiction and living with sobriety… Before saying that he’s got plenty of other songs for those that aren’t which elicited a roar from the crowd. In another story, James spoke about how he was lucky enough to release his last album right as Covid-19 hit last year, which was like he dropped the new album down a well.

James Taylor @ Chase Center (Photo: Kevin Keating)

Taylor’s overall performance was what you’d expect from an artist who’s sold over 100 million records worldwide. His voice sounds as strong and vivid today as it did 30 years ago. But it was another back-up singer who stole Taylor’s show — at least for me! Towards the end of “Shower the People”, Arnold McCuller was given his time to shine, and shine he did. It was the second performance of the night that gave me goosebumps. McCuller’s section of 'Shower' was simply stunning and luckily, I’ve found it on YouTube for you to hear for yourself below!

Ultimately, this was a night of just solid performances by two artists who collectively have over 100 years of experience between them. But it was the back-up singers who stole the show! Thanks for reading and you can find the full set list from the night below -- be sure to follow us across social for more pictures and reviews, find us at: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter