JAMES BLUNT
Riviera
Theatre • Chicago, IL
Saturday,
March 25, 2006
Review and Photos by
Cathy Mein
Everyone keeps telling me –– "James Blunt is
going to be huge! –– industry people, publicists, musicians,
music-snobs, friends.
Heck, even Oprah sang his praises on her show
earlier this month. From the golden cage surrounding him that has
prevented me from getting an interview, the abundance of record sales
and the line of concert-goers twisting around the block outside his
general admission show at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago Saturday night,
I'd say the 29 year old British troubadour already IS huge.
Oh, and did I mention that Paul Natkin was at
his show? For those of you who don't know, Paul Natkin, the renowned
Chicago rock music photographer, doesn't show up if you're not “huge.”
No one has to convince me--I've been trying to
sell people on his Atlantic album "Back To Bedlam," and
it's songs of heartache and introspection since the day it was released
in October 2005...
You'd think with all the hype surrounding James Blunt
lately he'd have the swagger displayed by many platinum selling artists,
but his appearance at the Riv Saturday night proved otherwise. A humble,
tousle-haired musician with a boyish grin and baggy jeans, he moved
between acoustic guitar and piano playing what he described as
"miserable" and "sad" songs which were eaten up by the primarily female
audience, who sang along to even the "saddest" of his crooning tunes.
Taking the stage with what would be the first
of five songs not on his album, Blunt began the show with "Breathe."
He reserved most of his up-tempo songs for the beginning of his set,
encouraging the crowd to take over singing duty by the third song,
"High," while he walked away from the microphone for nearly an entire
verse.
Asking his band to leave the stage while he
moved from guitar to piano for what should have been a
solo performance, the crowd once again joined him on the unlikely
sing-along, "Goodbye My Lover," despite being told it was a
"quiet" song. He did show some signs of vocal strain from several weeks
of touring, but as his voice faltered on the verse, "and I still hold
your hand in mine, in mine when I'm asleep, and I will bear my soul in
time, when I'm kneeling at your feet," the high notes were filled in by
a willing audience.
Once again solo on stage and piano, "No
Bravery," the haunting song written while Blunt served as a Captain
with the British army in Kosovo, was backed by a screen of the
musician's own video footage showing the despair he witnessed while in
the country in 1999. This would also serve as the only song performed to
a quiet, thoughtful audience.
Joined by his 4-piece band, Blunt later asked
the crowd if they knew the words to the Eagles’ "Hotel California"
as he began playing the song's guitar chords, and then joked that he
didn't know it and instead switched to his own "Wisemen," ending
his set pre-encore with his tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison,
"So Long Jimmy."
Noticeably missing from the setlist was
"Tears and Rain" from his "Back to Bedlam" album, most likely
due to unreachable notes from the singer's fatigued vocal chords.
Returning to the stage for the encore, Blunt performed yet another
new song, "Where is My Mind," and then ended the night with his
platinum-selling hit single "You're Beautiful," allowing the
audience to defiantly take over the explicit lyrics not heard on the
radio edit.
Before exiting the stage the singer took out his own camera and
asked the standing audience to put their hands in the air for a
photograph. Seemingly unaware that the crowd wouldn't leave until he
left the stage, he stood in the spotlight taking in cheers and adulation
and repeatedly thanking the crowd appearing surprised to be garnering
such a warm response from the Chicago audience.
In the not so distant future this tenor is bound to take audiences
along with him on his journey of soulful emotions from small venues to
large U.S. arenas.
CHICAGO
SET LIST
“Breathe”
‘Billy”
‘High”
“Cry”
“Goodbye
My Lover”
“Because
I Love You’
“I Really
Want You”
‘Out of
My Mind”
“No
Bravery”
“Same
Mistake’
“Wise
Men’
“So Long,
Jimmy
ENCORE:
“Where is
My Mind’
‘You’re
Beautiful’
For tour dates
and appearances visit James Blunt’s official websites at
http://www.jamesblunt.com/ and
www.myspace.com/jamesblunt |
