[Review] Taj Mahal @ City Winery | October 31st

Taj Mahal. Photo by Jay Blakesberg.

Taj Mahal
City Winery, Nashville, TN
October 31, 2014
Review by Jeff Moody

Truth be told, Halloween is probably my least favorite “holiday” so what better way to spend it than with Taj Mahal at the City Winery and a legitimate reason not to have to wear a costume.

So while there were no tricks, there were a lot of treats….

Before the show, we visited friends who built a big fire on their patio, set up a table full of beverages for the adults and put out a giant bowl of candy for the trick or treaters.  Reeking of campfire smoke, we arrived at City Winery and were happy to be sat by ourselves at a high top table with a good view of the stage.  This was our third visit to City Winery, and we like it more each time. We had already eaten dinner, but perused the menu and found it to have varied selections at reasonable prices. We sampled a couple of the house wines, and settled on the Zinfindel.

Again, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to see Taj Mahal at such an intimate venue. Shortly after 8PM, he was welcomed to the stage by the appreciative crowd wearing a colorful yellow shirt and surrounded by a variety of instruments. Not surprisingly, he kicked off with “Fishin’ Blues”, “New Hula Blues” and “The Celebrated Walkin’ Blues”.  With an almost 50 year career and counting, he has a lot of material to choose from, and it was a joy to see him move between guitar, dobro, banjo and uke.  At one point, he even played the keyboards. Favorites were “Corrina”, “Cakewalk Into Town”, and “Lovin’ in My Baby’s Eyes” which he recorded with Leftover Salmon. He finished the show with “Take A Giant Step”.

He remarked a couple times that he doesn’t play solo shows very often, but he seemed to be enjoying himself throughout the evening. It was two hours of great entertainment by a music legend and a real treat for everyone in attendance.  Hopefully, Taj will make the rounds through City Winery again, and, when that happens, don’t miss your opportunity to see a living legend in Nashville’s rising venue.