MaxxMusic presents
AL STEWART + LIVINGSTON TAYLOR
Saturday, February 1, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
AL STEWART:
After Al Stewart’s US tour in 2019 with his band The Empty Pockets, he spent most of 2020 and 2021 sidelined due the COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2022, he came back full force with a string of sold out shows in the United States and United Kingdom, and he even made his debut in Israel. On his curent tour, he’ll continue his trek with several shows throughout the United States. He will be playing his old favorites, like Year Of The Cat, Time Passages, On the Border, and Modern Times, along with selections
from his deep catalogue.
The Scottish-born singer-songwriter has released nearly 20 introspective and lyrically powerful records featuring brilliant backing musicians (Jimmy Page, Phil Collins, Richard Thompson, Peter White, etc.). His biggest platinum successes, “Year Of The Cat” and “Time Passages”, were released in 1976 & 1978 respectively. He’s had several top 20 singles, including the above-mentioned titles, as well as “On the Border” and “Song On The Radio”.
In Al’s own Words: “I’m just a folk singer that is interested in history and wine that got lucky with some hit records! It’s as simple as that really. I was always a huge music fan and originally, I had wanted to be Brian Jones and then Bob Dylan, but those two jobs were already taken. And in many ways, I’m still pretty much the same troubadour that I was back in 1965. I still get a kick out of hearing the Zombies, Hendrix or They Might be Giants on the radio.”
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR:
Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, which began a 50-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate, and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at the age of 18 and has continued to create well crafted, introspective, and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide.
From top-40 hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,” the last two recorded by his brother James, Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz—and from upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances.
Livingston has never stopped performing since those early coffeehouse days, shared the stage with major artists such as Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffett, and Jethro Tull, and he maintains a busy concert schedule, touring internationally. He is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth that connect him to his fans. His relaxed on-stage presence belies the depth of his musical knowledge, and fans might just as often be treated to a classic Gershwin or something from the best of Broadway.
Livingston is a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989. He teaches young artists invaluable lessons learned over the course of an extensive career on the road; the course is consistently voted the most popular at the College. His high-selling book, Stage Performance, released in 2011 offers those lessons to anyone who is interested in elevating their presentation standards to professional standards.
Livingston’s 50th year of making music was celebrated by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, both declaring January 18, 2017 “Livingston Taylor Day”.
