As he tours the country in Grease, Taylor Hicks has been playing some little after-hours shows in some cities along the way. I went to see one of those shows at the Roxy in Hollywood, and then when he came up to San Francisco, I caught another one of those shows at the Cafe Du Nord on a Tuesday night.

(photo credit: soulkaren)

Of course, if you know me, you know I wouldn’t have missed it. Who cares that the show started after 10:00 pm on a weeknight? It’s Taylor Hicks! He’s in my town, I’m going to see him, and sleep can wait.

And of course it was worth it.

The first thing I realized upon listening to the recording: Putting the mics on top of the soundboard was not a high enough position to be over the crowd noise. I probably could have gotten a better recording using my old methods. Ah well, live and learn. Let’s just say that the crowd chatter lends charm and personality to the recording.

And I also set the levels too low, as usual.

So, the audio isn’t as good as the Roxy recording, but it’s listenable. And it’s Taylor, so you know I’m listening. (ETA: This is not one of my best recordings. For a much better Taylor Hicks recording, please see the Roxy recording and the Roxy downloads.)

Here is the night’s set list, with some audio samples and a few comments:

The Distance
Give Me Tonight
What’s Right Is Right – I really liked this version. He changed it up a bit.

Heaven Knows>>The Maze -great tags in The Maze…Raincheck…

Heart and Soul – really good … things seemed to spark right here…

Woman’s Gotta Have It

Seven Mile Breakdown … Josh Smith solo, Taylor harp solo…things burst into flame here…

I was exhausted after experiencing SMB.

I thought that for sure Taylor was going to need a break after that…but he just dove right into the next song…

I Live On A Battlefield…things were kept smoldering here for a while with a bluesy solo from Josh Smith …

Now we really do need a rest, I mean come on, we are not machines.

-whew-

*wipes sweat from brow*

*takes a swig of something*

How about some Paul Pena?

Gonna Move …comfortable, relaxed…

Hide Nor Hair starts so unassuming …then a nice solo from Brian Gallagher…and then things really start warming up again…

Soul Thing …solos from Josh and harmonica from Taylor keep things cooking along…

-Encore-
My Sweet Lord …Taylor doesn’t really tag it, but he shouts out ‘Memphis Soul Stew! King Curtis!

He was cookin’ the whole time.

Downloads coming soon. ETA: Downloads HERE.