About halfway through his first set at Auckland's packed-out Spark Arena, legendary American singer-songwriter James Taylor takes off his jacket and settles back onto his stool.
"That was exciting," he responds to the audience applause. "Later I might take out my teeth."
Grandad is holding court and it feels reassuring.
Taylor, 76, has been part of the popular music tapestry since the late 1960s, when he first performed in front of Beatles Paul McCartney and George Harrison, auditioning to join their new Apple recording label.
"I just heard his voice and his guitar, and I thought he was great," recalled McCartney in Taylor's biography Long Ago and Far Away. "And then he came and played live, so it was just, like, 'Wow, he's great'."
Taylor still remembers that day and the song he played - 'Something In the Way She Moves' - is, fittingly, the opening number on his Asian and Pacific concert tour.
"You think I was nervous playing it for you," he admits. "Imagine how nervous I was then."
Taylor sits on stage under a spotlight, no frills. No light show, no fireworks, no big screens... just one man, his guitar and a collection of songs honed lovingly over more than half a century.
And a smattering of grandad jokes.
"A dyslexic walks into a bra," he offers, amid groans.
Taylor would become the first non-British act signed to Apple and a close collaborator with the 'Fab Four'. Harrison would write his own version of Taylor's audition piece, he and McCartney would guest on 'Carolina in My Mind'.
Years later, as John Lennon's neighbour, Taylor had his own scary encounter with Lennon's assassin, Mark Chapman. Next day, he heard the fateful shots next door.
For the uninitiated, Taylor's first set at Spark can be hard going. Of the 10 songs, probably only Del Shannon cover 'Handy Man' is among his top charting singles - his highest charter in NZ - but every one of them seems to have a story.
'That's Why I'm Here' alludes to the death of actor and friend John Belushi (Saturday Night Live, Blues Brothers, Animal House) of a drug overdose, a tragedy that helped Taylor turn around his own struggles with addiction.
'Sweet Baby James' is a lullaby for a nephew named after him.
While the recognition of those songs may be missing, the focus is squarely on Taylor performing his craft with a voice that could make a squeaky door hinge sound beautiful, building his rapport with an appreciative audience.
With no support act, the night is entirely about him, but Gramps has the good grace to provide a 20-minute intermission for everyone to stretch their legs and regroup.
"I don't know why," he admits. "We just stand on the other side of the curtain, looking at our watches."
If the first hour never quite gets out of second gear, Taylor doesn't disappoint on the resumption, as he climbs into his big hits, beginning with 'Carolina in My Mind'. He even breaks out an electric guitar for 'Mexico'.
"When we played in Pennsylvania, the Amish community there still use horse-draw guitars."
'Steamroller' is a favourite and unashamedly bluesy, offering Taylor's All-Star Band a chance to show their chops with a series of solos, beginning with Taylor himself on the harmonica. Each musician or vocalist is introduced reverently with a respectful handshake or a warm hug.
The haunting 'Fire and Rain' is another reflection of his drug woes and the suicide of friend Suzanne Schnerr.
Many of Taylor's best-loved songs are actually covers that have become more recognised than the originals over the years. 'Up on the Roof' was written by Carole King for The Drifters, while 'You Got a Friend' was another King composition.
'How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)' was originally recorded by Marvin Gaye, but was outcharted by Taylor's version a decade later. This is the last number of his second set at Spark Arena and finally gets the fans out of their seats.
Called back for an encore, Taylor performs 'Shed a Little Light' and 'Smiling Face', before holding up his finger for just one more, 'You Can Close Your Eyes'.
"Did that look spontaneous?" he quips. "We've been practicing our spontaneity."
Finally, it's time to climb down off grandad's knee, suitably enriched by his wisdom, his sincerity, his wry humour and his humility.
We can all use a dose of those wholesome traits in our lives.
