Joanne Shaw Taylor kicks off her 2026 Black & Gold Tour by returning to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.
Almost two years to the day since she last performed at this very venue, Joanne Shaw Taylor returned for the opening night of her US tour. There is no opener for this tour but luckily the crowd was in place ready for Joanne to kick off proceedings at 7.30 PM. For approximately 90 minutes, the Skokie crowd were drawn in to the captivating performance, with all eyes fixed solely on the band.
This tour is in support of Joanne’s 2025 release, Black & Gold. It also comes hot on the heels of her latest single, “What Good Is My Love,” which was released earlier this month. The single version includes a guest appearance by Orianthi, but for the purposes of the show, this role was filled by Shane Sanders. While he may have had big shoes to fill, he more than stepped up to the plate.
Discovered by Dave Stewart when she was the tender age of 16, and with the encouragement of her parents to pursue the path less traveled, Taylor’s sound has matured beyond her years. Part way through the show, she took a moment to reflect on her parents’ encouragement and the impact losing her mother had on her. It was 13 years to the day since she passed away due to cancer, so it was only fitting that she performed a stripped back version of “Fade Away,” which she wrote to mark the 10th anniversary of her passing. She was joined by Shane on guitar and drummer Katelynn Corll, who stepped away from her drum kit to provide some gorgeous harmonies. By the end of the song, if you weren’t fighting back tears with a lump in your throat, there is something clearly wrong with you. A beautiful moment and tribute.
Throughout the show, the smell of incense wafted across the audience, making you feel like you were in a more intimate setting than this grand music hall. You felt like you were in some small, sweaty blues club, minus the small room and the sweat. Joanne proved once again she is a double threat, with an incredible voice which is just the right amount of husky and powerful, and incredible guitar skills. She performed a mixture of her own music and a selection of covers which she put her own slant on. The evening included four cover songs, including two back-to-back Fleetwood Mac tracks – “The Chain” and “Stop Messin’ Round.”
If you’re heading to any of the shows on this tour, get yourself there early and make sure you buy one of the t-shirts with her dog Hank’s face on them to help cover her recent vet bill!
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