I’m starting to forget that baseball is actually played at Wrigley Field because it’s becoming one of my favorite concert destinations. One week ago James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt took to the stage at Chicago’s historic ballpark for a night of easy listening nostalgia.
Bonnie Raitt opened the evening with a fun set and some surprise covers—notably, the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” and INXS’ “Need You Tonight.” But the emotional highlight came during her stunning version of “Angel from Montgomery,” a song that’s not just special to me but, she noted, her as well. In between songs she took in the sights, “I hope wherever my folks are they’re digging this view right now.” She also expressed her gratitude to James Taylor, a lifelong friend, before he joined her on stage for “Thing Called Love.” “It’s an astonishing thing to be here tonight and on this tour,” she remarked.
James Taylor kicked off his headlining set with crowd pleaser “Carolina in My Mind.” His demeanor suggests that he’s the nicest, most considerate, wonderful man on the planet. Seriously, if you couldn’t tell by listening to his songs, you can tell by watching his interactions with his band and the crowd.
He’s funny too. During “Sunny Skies” home videos and photos of James with his dog (who he later described as having a “potato body”) ran across the monitors. He explained, “If you run out of sexy you gotta go cute,” to a roar of laughter from the crowd. The set carried on with one hit after another from his deep catalog of music, culminating in another duet with Bonnie (“You Can Close Your Eyes”) to conclude the evening. It was a memorable summer night at Wrigley—one that I won’t forget.
JAMES TAYLOR
BONNIE RAITT
WRIGLEY FIELD, JULY 17, 2017
Bonnie Raitt Setlist
Unintended Consequence of Love
Need You Tonight (INXS cover)
Rainy Day Man (James Taylor cover)
Spit of Love
Love Me Like a Man (Chris Smither cover)
Have a Heart
Something to Talk About
Nick of Time
Angel From Montgomery (John Prine cover)
Burning Down the House (Talking Heads cover)
Thing Called Love (John Hiatt cover with James Taylor)
James Taylor Setlist
Carolina in My Mind
Country Road
Sunny Skies
Never Die Young
First of May
Angels of Fenway
Mexico
Steamroller
Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight
Something in the Way She Moves
Jump Up Behind Me
Sweet Baby James
Fire and Rain
Shed a Little Light
Shower the People
Your Smiling Face
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (Marvin Gaye cover)
Encore
Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry cover)
You’ve Got a Friend (Carole King cover)
You Can Close Your Eyes (with Bonnie Raitt)
