It's the evening of July 7. The place: Cross Arena in Portland.

A familiar form: tall, slender, wearing a cap, began to venture out onto the stage.

The moment thousands of fans had been waiting for had arrived.

We, the James Taylor, a.k.a. JT, fans gathered there, showed our appreciation for our beloved troubadour by greeting him with a wildly enthusiastic standing ovation.

Many there had seen JT before. For me, and my dear friend Deb Beam, it was a most memorable moment. A longtime dream, an entry on the bucket list, if you will, had come true. We were about to hear “Sweet Baby James” live. And what a dream come true it was.

Taylor and his band: Andrea Zonn, fiddle and vocals; Jimmy Johnson, electric bass; Steve Gadd, drums, Lou Marini, horns and flute; Michael Landau, electric guitar; Luis Conte, percussion; Larry Goldings, keyboards; Walt Fowler, horns and electric keyboards; and vocalists Arnold McCuller, David Lasley and Kate Markowitz took us on a journey that began with the new album, “Before This World,” back to where it all began in 1968, weaving back and forth through time.

There was a whole lot of thunderous applause, whistling and hollering as soon as we heard the first few notes of those old tunes. We sang along, people smiling, sometimes crying.

“Carolina In My Mind,” was one of the tearful moments for me. As an intro, Taylor told us all how lucky he had been to be the first non-British performer signed to the Beatles' Apple Records in 1968. Homesick, he wrote “Carolina” while he was in London recording his first album, “James Taylor.”

Hearing and seeing JT sing “Fire & Rain,” was emotional for me, and I daresay, for most everyone in the arena. As the last note was played, someone in the crowd shouted out: “Thank you!”

Sometimes we really are fortunate enough to get what we ask for; just before the intermission I told Deb I was hoping JT would do “Steamroller.”

Well, this was the night of a dream coming true, and sure enough, early in the second set (song sets written on a chalk board he shared with us before the 20-minute intermission) ... how's it go? Oh yeah, “I'm gonna inject your soul with some sweet rock ‘n’ roll and shoot you full of rhythm and blues ...”

JT and the band knocked out a stellar performance of “Steamroller.”

For me, it alone was worth the price of admission! Being a blues girl at heart, the guitar work, the horns, the vocals — it was all killer!

Speaking of vocals, JT still has his honeyed voice that envelops and suspends you in a musical cocoon from which you emerge at peace and energized at the same time. You know what I mean.

Two of the new songs that spoke to me were “Montana,” (vintage JT) a song about life, love, home and family, things that nurture our souls; and “You and I Again,” a bittersweet love ballad that fills one with yearning while being thankful for what love has come your way.

“Won't you let me go down in my dreams, and rock-a-bye sweet baby James.”

Hearing James Taylor sing this tune, accompanied by a video of a children's pop up book, created for the song, “Sweet Baby James,” well, bring on that musical cocoon I was just talking about.

Taylor and his band gave us an incredible 2.5 hour show and three encores.

After JT left the stage, signing autographs and shaking hands along the way, eventually disappearing backstage, it was time to leave.

But we could’ve stayed all night.