ASSOCIATED PRESS
James Taylor was among the performers during last
Saturday's "Concert for New York."

James Taylor brings fire
and rain to Hawaii once more

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By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

The hippie idiom that if you remember the '60s you must not have been there doesn't seem to apply to James Taylor fans.

Taylor, who performs tomorrow at the Blaisdell Arena, won over an excited audience in a few short minutes in 1995 with his self-mocking, shy persona, just as he did in 1981 at the Waikiki Shell, fans remember.

Kapono Beamer has seen Taylor perform four times in Hawaii, including the 1981 concert with Carole King.

"He just kills me with that acoustic guitar and his voice," Beamer said. "His songwriting and musical honesty knock me right over because he sings from his heart and soul; nothing is contrived. It all resonates as a real deal."

Beamer's favorite Taylor tune is "Fire and Rain" from the 1970s album "Sweet Baby James."

"I was just graduating from Kamehameha and learning how to play all his songs on the guitar," Beamer said. "I was so immersed in his words and music. I could sense the genius."

Beamer doesn't only attend Taylor concerts to be entertained but to be inspired.

"I can't separate the two actually," he said. "I go to experience the artistry and his growth. Each time is a bit different."

James Taylor in concert Where: Blaisdell Arena When: 8 p.m. tomorrow Tickets: $45 and $65, available at the Blaisdell and Ticket Plus outlets Call: 526-4400

Taylor's first release in 1969 was a self-titled solo album on the Beatles' Apple label. But he broke out a year later on Warner Bros. with the multi-platinum Sweet Baby James, featuring the mocking "Steamroller Blues" and the first of his staples, "Fire and Rain." Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon in 1971 featured the hit version of Carole King's "You've Got A Friend" and cemented Taylor's reputation as the nicest guy in pop.

Glen Larson, co-creator of "Magnum, P.I." and a member of the Four Preps who wrote the mega-hit "26 Miles," "Big Man" and "Down by the Station," is flying in from Hollywood to see Taylor.

He always admired Taylor's ability to convey his life's tragedies without turning his songs into dirges. "The simplicity of his presentation is wonderful and communicates with everyone."

Larson believes Taylor's longevity can be attributed to reality and substance. "It's honest," he said.

This will be City Councilman Duke Bainum's second Taylor concert. He saw him perform in Amsterdam two years ago.

"He's been like a Dylan and a Springsteen as a spokesperson for so many generations," Bainum said. "He's as relevant now as he's ever been."

Bainum was attending a conservative religious college in Tennessee when he first heard "Fire and Rain."

"The honestly in the song devastated me," Bainum said. "Even though his songs aren't tremendously happy, there's an optimism about Americans and America's spirit.

"He taps into our souls."

For years Bainum has used a Taylor lyric as a personal mantra: "10 miles behind me and 10,000 miles more to go.

"That's so like life," he says. "The line talks about the value of the journey and no matter how far you've gone there's always so much more to learn."

Bainum said he's attending this concert with a new mindset, that of the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

"We're all different than we were two months ago," he said. "I want to hear these songs through the filter of Sept 11. 'You've Got a Friend' means more to me now than it did eight weeks ago."

Hawaii Kai resident Lois Morita-Yasuda, 45, attended her first of three Taylor concerts in Hawaii with several girlfriends.

"His songs are always about feelings and they bring back such great memories in high school," she said. "The lyrics really make you think."

When Morita-Yasuda hears "Fire and Rain" she immediately remembers her first concert. "I was on the risers to the left of the stage. James was right in front all alone with a spotlight on him. When he started singing a red balloon floated through the air right in front of us."

Anesthesiologist John Rausch, of Lanikai, was the highest bidder for six concert tickets in a benefit for friend and cancer patient Fred Vogelgesang. "I'm 50, so of course, I'm a Taylor fan," said Rausch who will be attending his first Taylor concert. "I've always liked his voice, the songs are easy to appreciate, and I think he's real. Musical poetry is what he does."

"My expectations are simple," the physician says. "I expect to have a wonderful time."

Henry Kapono has seen every Taylor concert in Hawaii, even meeting the singer after his first concert here in the early 1970s at the Waikiki Shell.

"JT was my primary idol and inspiration when I was growing up," he said. "He's a total artist."

"Fire and Rain" was the first song Kapono learned to play on the guitar, and Cecilio and Kapono's first album featured Taylor's band, then called "The Section."

"I want to see how he's performing now, how he interprets his lyrics at this stage in his life. He always brings something new and inspiring whether you're a musician or a fan. I'm both."

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