Review: Chatty James Taylor showers the people in St. Paul with heartwarming songs and dad jokes

Witness this parade of singer/songwriter heroes who came to Minnesota this spring: James Taylor and his newsboy cap followed Paul Simon and his generic ballcap and Bob Dylan and his cloud of curls.

Dylan won over a Mankato audience with his gravitas, and Simon carried the day in Minneapolis with his graceful musicality and committed vocals. Taylor triumphed Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul with his super-friendly personality, dad jokes and heartwarming songs.

While Taylor may not be as revered as those two giants, he is beloved by baby boomers who grew up on “Fire and Rain” and his remakes of hits like “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You).” The 12,000 fans in St. Paul didn’t mind that Taylor’s voice, at 77, isn’t as honeyed as it used to be, but it’s more forceful than Simon’s and less scratchy than Dylan’s — and it’s still as soothing and reassuring as ever.

While those two pillars of popular music mostly let their lyrics rather than their conversation speak in concert, Taylor took a homier, I-wanna-be-your-friend approach. In fact, he was more chatty and more spontaneous than your average vintage rock star in concert. (He said his wife says he talks too much, not that anyone at Xcel Center complained.)

He told a story about his first trip to South America in the 1980s and how his luggage got lost and Gilberto Gil loaned him a guitar in his Rio de Janeiro hotel room on which he wrote “Only a Dream in Rio.” Taylor recalled it was right after the first election in Brazil in 20 years and America supervised. “Of course, we wouldn’t do something like that now,” he said sarcastically.

A longtime activist, Taylor took a couple of political jabs (after mentioning Carole King, he declared “no kings” to huge applause) and told endless dad jokes and zingers about aging (as the singer repositioned his stool onstage, he said his doctor warned him about moving his stool).

Nonetheless, it’s hard to resist Taylor. The Mr. Rogers of rock ‘n’ roll is kind, gentle, patient, compassionate, reassuring. His music and persona are as comfortable and comforting as Fred Rogers’ cardigan and sneakers as he sings about friendship, loneliness, sweetness, smiles, dreams and different places in the world.

Taylor opened his 125-minute concert by road tripping, beginning with “Wandering,” from 1975, and later journeying to, among other places, “Carolina in My Mind” (which earned the first of the night’s maybe six standing ovations), “Mexico” and “Up on the Roof,” his harmony-free reading of the Drifters 1962 hit written by King and her then-husband Gerry Goffin.

Taylor’s excursions included a few deep tracks such as 2002’s “My Traveling Star” and “Stretch of the Highway,” the only number performed from 2015’s “Before This World,” his most recent album of original material.

After the 10-tune travelogue, it was time for a run of hits, some with extra touches. “You’ve Got a Friend” enjoyed an extended vocal harmony workout. “Fire and Rain” received a downbeat, almost morose, violin-heavy introduction before easing into the familiar guitar chords and the powerful lyrics that enraptured the crowd.

Michael Landau’s slide guitar and Larry Goldings’ accordion framed the lullaby “Sweet Baby James” before Taylor tossed in some lesser known treats including the peppy New Orleans-tinged rocker “(I’ve Got To) Stop Thinkin’ ‘Bout That” and the modern spiritual “Shed a Little Light.”

Taylor’s encore exhibited three sides of his personality: the boyish glee of the spirited “Steamroller Blues,” the love of his influences with his saxophone-propelled cover of Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” and the gentleness of “You Can Close Your Eyes,” a duet with his son Henry.

As always, Taylor had an excellent, 11-member band to deliver his wonderfully arranged soft-rock with its exquisitely executed five-part vocal harmonies. The players included Blues Brothers saxophonist Lou Marini, Nashville singer/violinist Andrea Zonn and Minnesota-reared bassist Jimmy Johnson, who has toured with Taylor since 1990.

Not only did Taylor give a shout out to Johnson’s bass-playing brother and father, but he saluted Circle Pines guitar maker James Olson, who had crafted the acoustic guitars Taylor played in St. Paul and showed up at the arena.

The Boston-bred singer acknowledged his sense of place by referencing without specifics the shootings of Twin Cities lawmakers on Saturday.

“I don’t know what to say about what happened here last week. It’s a huge burden for the whole community. It’s such a hardship. We love you.”

Then he sang “Shower the People,” a perfect kumbaya moment, especially when backup singer Dorian Holley took a soulful detour that showered the people with heartfelt love.

Although just about everything with Taylor’s concert felt familiar, there was one aspect that was strikingly different this time. His opening act wasn’t famous. For Taylor’s previous three concerts in St. Paul, his openers were fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and King.

This time the desirable slot went to Tiny Habits, a harmonizing trio who met at Berklee College of Music in 2022. They were excited to land this plum gig and made an encouraging impression, especially on a gorgeous treatment of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” and much later backing James and Henry Taylor on the night’s finale “You Can Close Your Eyes.”