It’s been a year and a half since we last had a chance to see Joanne Shaw Taylor perform live. That was in April of last year when she wowed the crowd at Denver’s Paramount Theatre. It was the first time I’d had the pleasure of seeing her perform live, and I vowed to myself after the show that it wouldn’t be the last. Yep, she was that good.
It’s been eighteen busy months for Taylor. She’s toured non-stop in support of The Blues Album (released in 2021) and Nobody’s Fool (released in 2022). In June of this year, she released her ninth studio album, Heavy Soul. Two months later, a press release announced her plans to “bypass traditional release strategies by delivering a steady stream of high-quality singles, ensuring that new music consistently reaches her fans.” True to that press release’s word, she’s since released three singles… “Hold Of My Heart” in August, “Black & Gold” in September, and “All The Things I Said” in October.
And, of course, touring, touring, and more touring.
Monday night, Taylor brough her Fall 2024 Heavy Soul Tour to Boulder. It was the fourth show (out of twenty) for the tour, which runs through November 24th.
Taylor took the stage at straight up 8:00 pm, with her trademark, classic ’66 Esquire slung over her shoulder. Nicknamed “Junior,” this has been Taylor’s go-to guitar since she bought it when she was fifteen. Junior has been Taylor’s primary guitar for the entirety of her sixteen-year career and has been featured on many of her studio and live album covers. By my count, Taylor played Junior on all but three of the songs in her set Monday night.
The evening’s sixteen song, hour and forty-five-minute set kicked off in rocking fashion with “In The Mood,” from Taylor’s 2019 album Reckless Heart. Overall the set included songs from six different albums, ranging from Taylor’s 2009 debut White Sugar, through the current Heavy Soul.
It’s one of the things I’ve always appreciated about Taylor’s live sets… the fact that they pull from her entire catalog. Of course, they always lean towards more recent releases. But Taylor’s catalog is so rich, and her fan base so loyal to the entire catalog that much of her older material simply can’t be left out of her live sets.
That was certainly the case Monday night. Heavy Soul did contribute four songs, but so did Reckless Heart. Three more came from 2021’s The Blues Album. 2022’s Nobody’s Fool contributed two songs, as did 2016’s Wild. And no Joanne Shaw Taylor show would be complete without “Watch ‘em Burn” from White Sugar.
In an interview I did with Taylor prior to her Denver show last year, she described herself as “a blues guitarist, a pop singer, and a pop/rock writer.” All of those elements, plus more, were on display Monday night. Her set included sizzling blues rock tunes, including the previously mentioned “In The Mood,” plus “Bad Love” from Reckless Heart, and one of the evening’s (many) highlights, “Watch ‘em Burn.” Then there’s the three straight up, old school blues tunes, all from The Blues Album. There were also pop tunes, and an acoustic presentation of the beautiful “Fade Away,” from Nobody’s Fool. (The full setlist can be found in the photo gallery below.)
Putting the music aside, the real highlight of Monday night’s show was Joanne Shaw Taylor, the person. The voice is extraordinary, and a star unto itself. The guitar playing is masterful, and a star unto itself as well. But what really tells the story of what it’s like to see Taylor perform live is the connection she makes with the audience. There’s a lot of talking to the crowd between songs, which is always a nice touch for any band or artist. But with Taylor the talking is more personal, and more intimate. Some of it was humorous, some of it heartfelt. But it all came across as personal, sincere, and meaningful.
A big shout out to Monday night’s extremely boisterous crowd. I’ve got to hand it to you folks… you really know your Joanne Shaw Taylor music. And it was obvious that she really enjoyed the interaction with you, including the back and forth about Kevin Costner and Joe Bonamassa (inside jokes – you had to be there). One of the things I love most about the Denver area music scene is the passion of the people who come out to the shows. I talked to one gentlemen (sorry, dude, that I failed to get your name) who told me this was his fourth time seeing Taylor perform live. In addition to last year’s show in Denver, he’s seen her twice in other cities and states. You have to admire that level of dedication.
You also have to admire Taylor’s career trajectory over the past few years. She just seems to get better and better. The three singles she’s released since Heavy Soul are all very different from each other, and all extremely good. I’ll admit to being disappointed that we didn’t get to hear any of them Monday night, but what would we take out to fit them in?
It was five years between Taylor’s first and second shows in the Denver area. Granted, much that delay was due to the COVID pandemic, but still. It was eighteen months between her second and third shows here. As she was leaving the stage Monday night, she hinted that perhaps we’d see her again in 2025. One can only hope.
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
