The Troubadour celebrated its 50th anniversary with the reunion of Carole King and James Taylor, who gave six star-studded performances over three nights that concluded with a rousing finale on Friday (November 30).
The renowned singer-songwriters seemed thrilled to be playing together on the stage that helped launch their careers in the early 1970s, as well as the careers of several musicians including Elton John, Joni Mitchell and The Byrds.
“It’s so crowded I guess you didn’t have anywhere else to be on a Friday,” King quipped to the adoring fans who sang along to nearly every song.
“It’s been a great couple of days here. We’ll have to figure out a way to do it again,” Taylor added, and the audience cheered loudly.
The pair alternated between King and Taylor hits throughout the evening, backed by the same band that played with them in 1969.
Several celebrities attended their three-night run, including Colin Farrell, John Cusack, William Shatner, Rick Rubin, Jackson Browne, Jane and Peter Fonda, Rob Reiner and Danny DeVito.
Midway through the 90-minute set, a woman in the crowd fainted, causing Taylor to stop the show and call for assistance. Once she was all right, Taylor joked, “You gotta be careful how you mix those drugs if you know what I mean.”
Taylor and King concluded with a verse-swapping rendition of the 1971 hit ‘You’ve Got A Friend’, which was penned by King and made famous by Taylor. They returned for a two-song encore of ‘Up On The Roof’ and the rarity ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’.
They played:
‘Blossom’
‘So Far Away’
‘Machine Gun Kelly’
‘Carolina’
‘It’s Too Late’
‘Smackwater Jack’
‘Something in the Way’
‘Tomorrow’
‘Country Road’
‘Natural Woman’
‘Fire and Rain’
‘Sweet Baby James’
‘Steam Roller’
‘Earth Move’
‘You’ve Got a Friend’
‘Up on the Roof’
‘You Can Close Your Eyes’
–By our Los Angeles staff.