James Blunt is such a wonderful & talented songerwriter, singer, and performer.
I have to admit, i wasn't a huge fan when he first broke a few years ago. I quickly grew tired of hearing "You're Beautiful" on the radio every five minutes (actually, that's still my least favorite song of his, but seeing it played live made me like it a little more). I unfortunately wrote him off based on the one song (yeah i know, i hate that & i know i shouldn't do it).
But at the end of last summer, something happened which sent me searching for some mellow, heartfelt tunes that might express what i was going through. In other words, i was looking for whiney boy music. And i got it in my head that James could provide something along those lines.
Well he did give me that (one tune in particular expressed EXACTLY, almost word-for-word what i was thinking & feeling). But he also showed me so much more. Some of his songs are sad, yes, but his lyrics are also insightful, well-written, a little weird at times, and just *good*.
I fell in love with his first album,"Back To Bedlam"; i played it over and over in the car and at home. And as fortune would have it, his new album "All The Lost Souls" was released right at that time. In fact, it hit the stores ON MY BIRTHDAY - how awesome is that?
In the year that has passed between then and now, my musical journey (as always) has meandered quite a bit, leading me through various realms of music. I found myself coming back to James often and liking his songs even more as time went on.
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Needless to say, i was very excited about seeing him play live. I'd missed his previous run through town, and didn't get tickets for his current tour with Sheryl Crow (i was iffy on the bill & venue, and it sold out while i was trying to decide). So when i found out that he'd added a headlining one-off in San Francisco, i logged in and bought my ticket the minute they went on sale.
This was my first visit to the Fillmore, so i allowed a ridiculous buffer to allow for traffic and parking. It turned out to be easy enough to find the place and park, so i ended up through the doors a good 45 minutes early. After wandering for a few minutes (the Fillmore is a great venue, btw; wonderful mid-size theater (larger than Slim's, smaller than the Aragon in Chicago), walls covered with photos of bands who have played there over the years) i finally perched at the back of the hall (a dark corner next to the sound booth) and resigned myself to wait.
After a few minutes some guy approached me (older than me; i'd guess 40s) and said in a friendly voice & Scottish accent "Best seat in the house, eh?" I cautiously engaged in some smalltalk; i had my guard up at first because i wasn't sure what his deal was, but then i found out that he was one of the security guys. I think he just wanted someone to talk to until the show started, just like i did. So that was cool. We talked a little about music; he's a metal fan too, although of the old school (Maiden, Priest, Motorhead, Testament, etc). And from working security he'd met a lot of bands as well (the original lineup of Anthrax, for example). He also told me about some of his travels, and about his tattoos; he has a full bodysuit in progress, inked by numerous artists from places he's been.
So that was a fun random encounter; his name is Allister (or maybe Hollister; i couldn't hear too clearly in the crowded theater). Maybe i'll see him again when i go back to the Fillmore in a few weeks to see Nightwish.
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Tift Merritt opened up the evening with a good set. I wasn't familiar with her music, aside from a few songs on her myspace page. I think i could really enjoy her stuff if i'm in the right mood. She's clearly a talented artist, and i have an immense amount of respect for her as a performer. Especially her singing voice! Struggling with my own singing efforts has raised my appreciation for musicians who can actually sing with clarity and control, especially with little or no accompanyment. She played her set by herself - just her voice and her acoustic guitar or piano.
Next up was my boy! The house lights went down, his band members slipped onto the stage one by one (all styling in jackets & ties) and started up the first song. A few seconds later James himself burst onto the stage, struck a few rock star poses with his guitar, then settled into the song. I actually didn't recognize the opener; i don't know if it's new or if my memory just sucks.
The only other song i didn't recognize was this wonderful piano-driven mystery tune called "Cause I Love You". It seems to be part of his usual live set but nobody knows anything about it (i'm hoping it'll be on his next album - maybe maybe?"). It was a great audience-participation number, as the band broke into an interim jam and James led us in singing along (after he jumped off the stage and high-five'd & hugged his way along the front of the audience). Fun! Here's someone's bootleg i found on youtube:
So, most of the shows i attend are metal, which typically have 3 volumes: Loud, Very Loud, and Even Louder. Which i love and wouldn't trade for anything (of course, i wouldn't trade my ear plugs for anything either). But i also really enjoyed that James & co's set spanned a wide range of intensity. At one end of the spectrum was the full-band driven rocking out; his band members play quite well, and they really look like they're having fun up there which always makes the performance feel good.
The other extreme was James at his piano, performing a few songs by himself. "Goodbye My Lover" was particularly amazing (and not just because it's "my" song).
Pretty much a perfect set from James & the boys; with only two albums so far, they were able to include most of his recorded material and thus play all of the songs i was hoping to hear. Also fun were the live embellishments - a jam session thrown into a song, some varied guitar solos, a handful of singalongs. James did mention that this was their first headlining one-off of the tour, which i'm guessing allowed more freedom as far as the set goes (maybe a few extra songs, and a kickass encore). And i'd expect there was a higher energy level as well, since everyone in the house was there to see *him*, as opposed to a mix of fans of Sheryl Crow and whomever else was on the bill. I can't imagine my first James Blunt concert being any better than this one <3
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Once the show was over, i found my Scottish friend and said goodbye before heading out. It really was nice to have some company before the show; otherwise it would have been just like The Birthday Massacre last fall - standing around by myself for an hour (suk). On my way out the door i found that they were handing out posters made specifically for this show - bonus! It's nice to have a memento from the night (in addition to my ticket stub, of course). Some venues have promo posters on the walls, but i usually forget to gank one, or they're all gone by the end of the night.
As usual, i drove home with the radio off, replaying the highlights of the evening in my mind. I also upheld my new tradition of stopping by In-N-Out on the way home for some much-needed food; good times.
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James Blunt is now a candidate to be promoted to white-tag status in my music collection. For those who don't know what the bloody hell that means, it's an elite title reserved for a select few artists who have had a significant impact on me. I have a lot of love for a lot of bands, but the white tag represents something extra-special beyond even the top tier. There are only eight such artists in my music collection (with two more in the running). Stay tuned for more details (if you care).
