I Felt the Floor Move Under My Feet - Carole King in concert

I have long loved the folk rock/pop sound of Carole's music. She is an accomplished singer-songwriter and released one of the most popular albums of all time -- Tapestry. After having traveled to Barrie on the day before Live 8, we decided to kill some time (and give away a few dollars) by visiting Casino Rama. One of the first things I saw upon entering was a poster advertising Carole's concert, which would be on the following Sunday. It took us about five seconds to decide to stay an extra night and purchased the $35 tickets.

The 5,000 seat concert hall is set up stadium style, we were about 1/3 back and to the left of the stage. Considering how late we'd bought the tickets, I didn't think this was too bad, especially when I noticed the large video monitors at the front. The stage had a minimalist set up of a couch, chair, a lamp and some plants, in keeping with the living room theme of her new tour and album out July 12. Also on stage was a piano. With no introduction or fanfare, Carole quietly walked on stage, waved to the crowd as she sat at the piano and played the sweet and pretty Whispering Wind. Although she is now 63, I could detect little difference from her beloved 1971 Tapestry album. Carole isn't the most accomplished singer but she has an earthy quality, she projects honesty, vulnerability and her music is able to reach deeply inside me like few other artists have ever done. After a few words she then launched into Welcome to My Living Room, the first track of her new album, which is a humourous, self-deprecating way of introducing herself to the listener. In between songs, Carole was warm and funny, talking a lot about her songwriting history, interspersed with snippets of many past hits, some she released and some she wrote for other people. Before singing it, Carole described how she and Toni Stern had updated the lyrics to Where You Lead so it could be used as the theme song of the hit show Gilmore Girls. (When the song first came out it was criticized as anti-feminist.) She also performed, (for the first time on stage,) Say Goodbye Today, a song Carole co-wrote with Paul Williams for a possible upcoming play based on television's Happy Days.

Although Carole encouraged us to do so, the audience needed no invitation to sing along with her well known songs; it was like seeing an old friend in a relaxed, informal environment. Shortly into the show, Gary Burr and Rudy Guess joined Carole on stage to accompany her with guitars. Carole didn't remain at the piano the entire time, she also showed she is an accomplished guitar player on Love's Been a Little Bit Hard On Me and Smackwater Jack. Other old favourites performed included: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, It's Too Late, (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman, I Feel The Earth Move and Pleasant Valley Sunday which she wrote for The Monkees tv show.

After a standing ovation, Carole's encore comprised of So Far Away, You've Got a Friend and Locomotion, during which the audience was dancing so energetically, the floor was reverberating under our feet. The hour and a half show seemed much shorter due to how much fun we were having. Carole is a story-teller, she has a unique ability to reach inside and communicate the deepest of emotions with the simplest of words. Since she now spends the bulk of her time on environmental causes, I had despaired of ever seeing Carole perform live, so it was an immense thrill to see her perform, to hear again those many songs that touched me when I first heard them and continue to do so today.

http://www.caroleking.com/

http://www.casino-rama.com/