In the early 1970s, Carole King was known as a lot of things. She was a Laurel Canyon icon. A songwriter’s songwriter. A secret ingredient in the studio. A wife and a mother.
But one thing she was not known for was being a star performer. That’s what made her 1973 performance at Central Park in front of an estimated 100,000 people so astonishing. The footage was locked away for decades—until now.
Spectators sat in the grass and belted along to the tunes as if sitting around a campfire, swaying with their eyes closed. Despite her sheepish nature, King can’t help but beam at the roars of applause.
On Thursday, March 23, Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMoA) will present the full-length concert documentary “Carole King: Home Again” at the Magic Lantern in Ketchum. There will be showtimes at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for members and $12 for nonmembers.
Director George Scott has worked on several of King’s projects previously, including her induction video to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“She did a book, but she’s always been a very private person,” Scott said. “It’s really interesting to hear a story maybe you haven’t had before ... In a way, we barely scratch the surface.”
While working on a BBC documentary about King, director Scott became aware of the Central Park footage.
“It was the Holy Grail of Carole King,” Scott said. “Nobody knew what it was or what kind of condition it was in. It was a long and torturous process.”
Scott’s team finally got their hands on the delicate 16mm footage.
“It’s beautiful footage, really nicely shot,” Scott said.
They pieced it together into a cohesive narrative, adding new interviews from legendary concert promoter Ron Delsener and King herself.
“Carole King: Home Again” finds the singer at a fascinating point in her career. After years behind the scenes writing hits for other artists, she took center stage with “Tapestry.” The tender, poetic album blew away expectations critically and commercially.
“It was kind of a perfect storm,” Scott said.
On “Tapestry,” King used soaring melodies to make simple sentiments sound like anthems: “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away,” “You’ve Got a Friend.” Even singing in front of 100,000 people, it sounds like she’s playing the grand piano in her living room with sunlight pouring in, surrounded by shedding cats and half-finished cups of tea.
“It was a revelation of how comfortable she was at the piano, someone who was not a natural performer,” Scott said. “She just kind of stumbles on stage, sits at the piano and begins singing. There’s no artifice. She doesn’t hesitate. There’s no warmup. She just gets on and does it. The minute it’s over, she’s off.” 
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