SAN DIEGO — James Taylor’s 2025 tour with his aptly named All-Star Band is nearly doubling in size with Monday's announcement that the legendary singer-songwriter is adding 17 new August and September concerts to his itinerary. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time at tour.jamestaylor.com for the second leg of the tour, which will begin with concerts at Wolf Trap, outside Washington, D.C., on Aug. 21, 23 and 24, and conclude with a Sept. 17 Texas show at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth. All the new and previously announced tour dates appear below.

These new concerts are in addition to the 24 previously announced shows Taylor will perform between May 5 and July 1, including in San Diego on May 10 and 11 at The Shell. The prospect of hitting the road again in such a big way for his annual summer tour is one that both delights and grounds him.

“This is something that is a rare thing in America: I have the same job today that I had when I was 15!” said Taylor, speaking last week from the Boston suburb of Brookline.

The 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and 2000 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee will celebrate his 77th birthday on Wednesday. Now at work on a new album, among other projects, he is clearly not the retiring type.

“When something works, you tend to stick with it,” Taylor agreed. “And performing is the realest part of a kind of a showbiz career, or a commercial artistic career. The fact that you put it in front of an audience — they come back to hear you again and again — and you know immediately how they’re receiving it and what their response is.

“Otherwise, it can be a very unreal life to sort of be a celebrity, or to sort of promote yourself as a product, brand or whatever, a (type of) human existence that is removed from reality already. So, it can be very uncertain or subject to interpretation. But being on the road — and traveling and working with musicians — and getting the response from the audience, that’s as real as it gets.”

Yet, despite the fact he is now in his sixth decade of touring, Taylor doesn’t take performing for granted. And he admits that getting preshow jitters is not uncommon for him.

“I still do get stage fright, although once we’re in the in the groove, once we’re in the saddle and out there, my nerves aren’t so bad from night to night. But in the beginning, they are. And if you stay out (on tour) too long and get exhausted, then your nerves can overwhelm you… So it’s just a matter of of knowing what you’re able to handle.

“That I’ve often said that that 90% of performance — the art of performance — is whether or not you look good when you’re nervous. And there’s a way to use that energy and, and a way also to sort of foil it, to to to get around it on stage.”

Taylor’s concerts showcase the wealth of classic songs he has written and recorded, including “Fire and Rain,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Carolina in My Mind,” “Mexico,” “Shower The People” and “Country Road.” They have become part of the fabric of the shared American listening experience, as evidenced by the multigenerational audiences that attend and cheer his performances, and by their appeal to listeners with very different political and social perspectives.

While he has performed on behalf of Democratic presidential candidates over the decades, Taylor has generally shied away from making political statements on or off stage. But he made a notable exception on Feb. 21 with his heartfelt social media post, “Thoughts On Ukraine.”

He began the post by acknowledging how rare it is for him to publicly make such a personal statement, writing: “I always hesitate to bring my political beliefs into this space. I don’t think my listeners would expect that from me and some of you will find it disappointing: not what you were looking for… But the recent reversal of our support for the Ukrainian resistance to Putin’s invasion motivates me to cross that line.”

Taylor then asks: “Were we wrong about Zelensky, the hero of Ukraine? Were we wrong to feel the brotherhood of freedom in their struggle to resist the unprovoked attack upon their young nation? When they fought the bully Putin to a standstill with righteous resistance. When they stood up to the tyrant and stoically paid the price in patriots’ blood, were we not thrilled at their courage…”

He concludes by pondering: “Is this what has become of the cradle of liberty, and the home of the brave? That we slide the hidden dagger in the back of those who were our champions? While our allies in the defeat of Hitler and Stalin witness our betrayal in disbelief…”

Could “Thoughts On Ukraine” inspired Taylor to write a song on the same subject matter?

“Well, I introduced that piece on my social media by sort of apologizing for getting political,” he replied. “Generally speaking, I don’t think that’s what people come to see me for (in concert). I think that’s probably a distraction.

“As far as my live performances are concerned… I don’t want to burden or distract my audience from what what’s essentially, if I can presume to call it art, an artistic experience with with this kind of (political statement) stuff. So, I keep politics out of my performances and, generally speaking, out of my public offerings… But one of the main things that concerned me, was Trump’s relationship with Putin and (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orban, and our relationship with NATO and our mission as world leaders, and of our commitment to representative democracy and human rights.

“That’s one of the main things that motivated me (to write and share ‘Thoughts On Ukraine’ and make that political stand. I’ve been dreading what happened with Ukraine under this administration… It came as a surprise to me, how, how sort of blunt it was and how sort of clumsy the handling of it has been.

“The relationship between Trump and Putin has always been something that concerned me. I’m surprised it doesn’t concern more people, but it’s front and center now. And one of my major concerns has been, and continues to be: What do we stand for in the world? What are we? What are we? Are we abandoning our our mission of promoting democracy in in the world?

“As my friend (film and TV director) Dave Mirkin says: ‘These are the fun questions.'”

James Taylor new summer 2025 tour dates

Aug. 21, 23 and 24: Vienna, Virginia, Wolf Trap

Aug. 26 and 27: Boston, MGM Music Hall at Fenway

Aug. 29: Bridgeport, Connecticut, Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater

Aug. 30: Holmdel, New Jersey, PNC Bank Arts Center

Sept. 1: Richmond, Virginia, Riverfront Amphitheater

Sept. 3: Virginia Beach, Virginia, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre

Sept. 4: Raleigh, North Carolina, Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

Sept. 6: Atlanta, Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park

Sept. 8: Simpsonville, South Carolina, CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park

Sept. 10: Birmingham, Alabama, Coca-Cola Amphitheatre

Sept. 12: Franklin, Tennessee, FirstBank Amphitheater

Sept. 13: Southaven, Mississippi, BankPlus Amphitheater

Sept. 16: Tulsa, Oklahoma, BOK Center

Sept. 17: Fort Worth, Texas, Dickies Arena

James Taylor previously announced summer 2025 tour dates

May 5: Phoenix, Footprint Center

May 7: Palm Desert, California, Acrisure Arena

May 8: Highland, California, Yaamava Theater

May 10 and 11: San Diego, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

May 13 and 14: Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara Bowl

May 16: Stanford, California, Frost Amphitheater

May 17: Lincoln, California, The Venue at Thunder Valley

May 19: Bend, Oregon, Hayden Homes Amphitheatre

May 21: Nampa, Idaho, Ford Amphitheater

May 23: Ridgefield, Washington, RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheatre

May 25 and 26: Seattle, Chateau St. Michelle Winery

June 13 and 14: Morrison, Colorado, Red Rocks

June 17: St. Paul, Minnesota, Xcel Center

June 19: Highland Park, Illinois, Ravinia

June 21: Milwaukee, Summerfest*

June 23: Cincinnati, Riverbend Amphitheater

June 24: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Blossom Music Center

June 27: Toronto, Budweiser Stage

June 29: Canandaigua, New York, CMAC

July 1: Gilford, New Hampshire, BankNH Pavilion

©2025 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.