Independence Day traditions upheld at Tanglewood

LENOX – The tradition of going to Tanglewood to celebrate Independence Day was kept alive this year, despite the lack of James Taylor’s presence.

Jackson Browne hit the stage in the Serge Koussevitzky Shed, giving the audience what they wanted, including a cover of Mr. Taylor’s “Sweet Baby James,” which features the Berkshire-favorite lyrics, “Now the first of December was covered with snow/and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston./Though the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting,/with 10 miles behind me and 10,000 more to go.”

Snow was the last thing on the audience members’ minds, as temperatures jumped up to the mid-80s. However, with a nice breeze, a couple scoops of SoCo Creamery’s delicious ice cream (or sorbet) and a cold beverage or two, the audience was ready to sit back and enjoy the show.

In addition to the “Sweet Baby James” cover, Mr. Browne performed his renditions of The Eagles’ “Take It Easy” and Steve Van Zandt’s “I Am a Patriot.” Of his own songs, he performed “The Pretender,” “Late for the Sky” and “Call It a Loan” – just to name a few.

He was joined on stage by Sara Watkins, who also opened for him. She started her set with the Independence Day standard “America the Beautiful,” bringing most of the crowd to its feet.

Following Mr. Browne’s performance, the sky over the Stockbridge Bowl blazed with a fireworks show to celebrate the holiday.

Before Mr. Browne and Ms. Watkins took to the stage, physical comedian Tom Murphy gave a family-friendly performance on the lawn near the Tanglewood Visitor Center and theatrical duo Waldo and Woodhead performed in the Chamber Music Hall, while inspirational comedian Randy Judkins roamed the lawn.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on July 11, 2013. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Community Events,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry