Flushed with recent successes
- a triumphant show at LA's House of Blues,
two Brits, the single You're Beautiful at No.1 in the USA Billboard Hot 100
and album at No.5 in the Billboard Hot 200, the unstoppable James Blunt
juggernaut stormed into Manchester.
The ex-army captain's life has been bedlam in the past 12 months, as he sets
out to conquer the world; right now he's hot property. In sharp contrast to
his support for Katie Melua in Liverpool two years ago, pop's new heart
throb has come a long way in a short time. His new found fame has boosted
his confidence, to the extent he's dramatically sharpened and beefed up his
live performance.
Previously, his lack-lustre stage persona was compensated
for by his achingly beautiful songs. Now it's an 'up and at 'em' approach.
Predictably, he was greeted by hysterical scenes from youngsters to mums and
dads. Flying out of the wings, he paraded stage front with acoustic guitar
in tow.
Breathe, a new song went virtually unnoticed due to screams and
whistles echoing the third sold out night at the Apollo. It was a totally
unexpected 'attack' from the humble man of pop, but it had the desired
effect. He soon took up a familiar stance behind the mic, for what would be
virtually the same setlist he's used for the past five months.
Nevertheless,
he had his adoring fans in the palm of his hand from the outset, and kept it
that way for an hour and fifteen minutes: one album and a small clutch of
new songs is all he has right now. Second song in, he's into 'Back To
Bedlam' territory - Billy, High and Cry raise the roof, while mobile phones
flash like the paparazzi gone nuts.
Stage lights dimmed, the band
disappeared into the darkness. He fronted his piano. Three spotlights
focused on his solitary figure. He stopped for a breather and said, "I know
you've come here for some fun. So I'll play something really miserable",
bringing roars of laughter. A heart wrenching Goodbye My Lover got the
girls going - this is the effect his music has had on the nation. He pounded
the piano so much; it rocked precariously on its platform - a breathtaking
moment.
Band re-assembled, he followed with his first cover - a belting version of
Slade's Coz I Luv You. Moving to the front again, Blunt egged - on the
crowd, setting off the crowd once more. Taking it down, Tears And Rain
steadied the pace for bit. New song, I Really Want You, got the crowd
listening intently for what might be included on his next album, being
recorded in eight months. It's well received. Back for another solo on keys,
the chilling No Bravery, arguably his best song, about the atrocities in
Kosovo, was complimented by film footage from the Balkans war - a truly show
stopping moment as the venue fell deathly silent, mirroring the devastating
scenes.
Perking things up on the final lap, proscenium lights, smoke, and coloured
lights add a bit of glam, as Blunt delves into Same Mistake, the soon
re-released Wisemen and rousing So Long, Jimmy.
A rowdy standing ovation ensued, but there was time for a little more.
Newly-penned Where Is My Mind restarts. More confident PR follows - gushing with
pride he says, "We've had a great time Manchester - this is for you!" Again,
screams and whistles prefix the opening chords of his signature tune; You're
Beautiful, which has just re-entered the charts. For almost three minutes
the crowd gave it their all.
Creaming every ounce of his final ovation, he left us with, "Thank you for
coming Manchester - you're the stars."
Last summer he entered the British consciousness - this night he
consolidated it.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Previously, his lack-lustre stage persona was compensated
for by his achingly beautiful songs. Now it's an 'up and at 'em' approach.
Predictably, he was greeted by hysterical scenes from youngsters to mums and
dads. Flying out of the wings, he paraded stage front with acoustic guitar
in tow.
Stage lights dimmed, the band
disappeared into the darkness. He fronted his piano. Three spotlights
focused on his solitary figure. He stopped for a breather and said, "I know
you've come here for some fun. So I'll play something really miserable",
bringing roars of laughter. A heart wrenching Goodbye My Lover got the
girls going - this is the effect his music has had on the nation. He pounded
the piano so much; it rocked precariously on its platform - a breathtaking
moment.
Perking things up on the final lap, proscenium lights, smoke, and coloured
lights add a bit of glam, as Blunt delves into Same Mistake, the soon
re-released Wisemen and rousing So Long, Jimmy.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
