Mick Taylor: "Welcome to San Francisco"
Mick Taylor at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, January 28, 2000
Mick Taylor still plays the music with the soul, emotion, and skill that is without a doubt a match for any artist of his generation. His playing reflects the soul of a man who has experienced the great highs of fame and fortune as a Rolling Stone to the depths of ambiguity that becomes what he expresses in the playing and living of the blues. The teenage guitar playing prodigy was afforded the notoriety and recognition that very few can say they have experienced in life. Mick would learn that the down time between the euphoric highs of live performance and the adulation of fans would leave him in search of other means of filling the voids in the tumultuous Rock 'n' Roll life style. Being the artist that he is Mick escapes the spiral to pursue the art form as he sees it...as he hears it...as he wishes to create it.
This brings us to Mick Taylor solo artist and the performance of the Mick Taylor Band at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall on Friday, January 28, 2000. This is his second tour opener in The City in less than a year. His return to the States is clearly in support of the US CD release of "A Stone's Throw" on the Cannonball record label (Matrix: D2CD29213 Order Number: CBD 29113). He opened his 1999 tour at this same venue on March 17, 1999. It must have been the enthusiastic reception and special ambiance of the setting that inspired the return of the band for this year's San Francisco opener.
The Band:
Mick Taylor - Guitar-Vocal
Jeff Ross - Keyboards
Michael Bailey - Bass
Jeff Allen - Drums
Robert Awhai - Rhythm Guitar
Noticeably absent from this performance was keyboard player Max Middleton who has been touring with Taylor for some time now. The synergy and respect that the two artists have for one another was missing in the band dynamic. Mick made the effort to introduce Max three times during the March 17, 1999 gig.
Set List:
Ladies and Gentlemen and San Francisco please welcome The Mick Taylor Band...
1. Twisted Sister (10:58)
This is a strong opener with an extended instrumental section that absolutely jams. Taylor alternates between melodic leads and power chord rhythm fills. At 6:19 the song transitions into a rhythmical section that enhances the live versions of this song since last year's tour. Mick kicks in the wah-wah at 9:13 that adds a new dimension to the playing.
"Thank you very much it's great to be back here in San-Fran-cisco again. This is our first show, one of many, all over the place, and I wanna play a bunch of old songs for you..."
2. Secret Affair (8:17)
A second excellent song from "A Stones Throw" to firmly set the stage for the rest of the evening. Secret Affair like Twisted Sister also benefits from an extended jam section in the live performance. The long outro piece beginning at 5:29 is where things really start to happen with some very inspired guitar work by Taylor.
"Thank you that one's called Secret Affair from our, current, latest, CD that's just escaped. Our CD wasn't released in the States. Anyway..."
3. Late At Night (10:17)
Taylor noodles an opening solo with very heavy "wah" and just when you think he's going to start playing Voodoo Child (Slight Return) the music transitions into the third of four tracks played at the show from the "current" release "A Stones Throw".
Put your loving arms around me
'Cause I need your loving every day
Late at night it's almost a quarter to three
Lord have mercy upon me
Everybody needs somebody
Hope you come away with me
Need some time to be by myself
Before I can take you away with me...
Three minutes into the song and Taylor blazes away with expressive leads. Bassist Michael Bailey surprises all with backing vocals starting at 6:10:
You were such distraction
Such a fatal attraction...
Jeff Ross plays a keyboard solo switching from piano to organ tones. Then back to Taylor and an endless stream of lead lines. It amazing really, where all the music in this guy's mind comes from.
"Thank you that one is called Late at Night...Late at Night"
4. You Gotta Move (16:01)
Eastern phrasings highlight the now familiar extended introduction to this classic Fred McDowell blues number. Robert Awhai takes his hand at a solo 8:50 into the song. At 10:07 the song is handed off to Jeff Ross' keyboard solo which is his strongest of the set. Back to Taylor's slide at 11:20 and the rest if history.
"This song is dedicated to Carlos Santana... It's light and breezy and you can dance to it and it's Latin and it's all of that and he's a great guitar player, so here we go. This one's called Goin' South..."
5. Goin' South (20:30)
A musical journey of epic proportions! This track was commercially released on the LP and CD titled "Stranger In This Town" on Maze Records. The song is a show case for introductions and solos by all members of the band except keyboardist Jeff Ross who is conspicuously left out of the fray. Well maybe just an error, or an issue with Taylor who may not by totally sure of the new line-up. Jeff played fine, but to past muster with the temperamental pedigree from Mayall, Stones, and Dylan...well no one said Rock 'n Roll was easy. The scene is filled with egos, attitudes, and personae, but this is a subject for another story. Taylor pulls off the heavy Les Paul Standard sunburst and stands to the side of stage for a smoke while the band plays on. Jeff Allen lays out a drum solo from 7:15 to 8:40. He really adds a level of professionalism in his playing, the solo swings with beat of the music. A bass solo by Bailey is next from 9:03 to 11:30. Bailey shows a large San Francisco crowd that he's got his chops down cold. The third set of solos in this improvised jam are from Robert Awhai who plays a clean and calculated solo from 11:34 to 13:54. The song hands itself back to Taylor who picks up the soloing from 14:04 to 16:38.
"Yeah, thank you very much. Thank you. Goin' South. On the keyboards Mr. Jeff Ross, on the drums Jeff Allen, on the bass guitar Michael Bailey, and on the guitar Robert Awhai."
6. Blues in the Morning (12:40)
The fourth song from "A Stone's Throw" and one that Taylor has been playing live since around 1987. At 4:35 Taylor adds wah to the lead lines and he goes into a Jimi Hendrix inspired passage in the center section of the song:
Rainy day
Raining all day...
Mick sings the opening lines to Still Raining, Still Dreaming from "Electric Ladyland". This is something he does often in live performances, sometimes very subtly. Always interesting to look for.
"Thanks very much, thanks. We've got time for one, one more."
7. Blind Willie McTell (10:08)
Taylor's version of this song eclipses that of even Dylan from the "Infidels" sessions. The tone of his Marshall 2X12 combo and Fender Twin kick-in as Taylor pours on the opening slide lines. Ironically, Taylor doesn't play a note on the Dylan version of the song that is found on the commercial release "the bootleg series volumes 1-3". Studio versions of this song performed by Mick are found on the Black Cat Bone "Taylormade" CD, "A Stone's Throw" on Sensible (import) and Cannonball Records, and the Dylan electric version found on the "May I Have A Record Contract" bootleg CD & LP.
"Thanks very much. God bless thanks. Thanks for coming. And it's great for us to be back here. Thanks. God bless you all. Thanks a lot. Good-night."
Encore:
8. Red House Goin' Down Slow (12:01)
Taylor clearly enjoys playing this song which for him is probably a personal tribute to an artist that he has much respect for. Slow blues are the eminent domain of Mick Taylor. Fast lead runs, string bends, and the endless sustain of the vibrato.
9. Can't You Hear Me Knocking Jam (6:42)
The now anticipated segue from Red House. This as usual is only the jazzy part of the song as Rolling Stones fans know it. Sounds of wah-wah, delay effects (repeats), and tremolo dives shake the walls of the Victorian styled theater.
"Thanks. Let's hear for the band: Robert Awhai, Michael Bailey, Jeff Allen, and Jeff Ross on the keyboards. Thanks very much. God bless. Thanks."
All in all a fine performance by the band, but it would have been much more interesting for the band to have taken greater musical risk by playing a more diverse set this time around, even if that meant drawing from Mick's set of known standards. Songs like Stranger in this Town, Broken Hands, Stop Breaking Down, Sway ... the possibilities are many. Nonetheless, the 2 hour show is without a doubt worth the price of admission to see a guitar player of this stature in a fine club setting.