the wind cries... JAMIE
I can't even begin to have the words to describe tonight's Jamie Cullum concert. I've been to some incredible musical events in my time, but this blew me out of the water- the lads couldn't tear themselves off of the stage tonight because they felt it, too.
Things started off a little crazily, trying to meet up with Becky before the gig. Plans were changing left and right, but in the end, we found each other in the middle of the third song. I had stationed myself about 15 ft away from the piano, which is the prime territory for JC viewing, and I wasn't about to move an inch! ;)
I walked in for the opening act's last song- a kickass cover of 'Hallelujah' which made me think that I probably should have tried to hear more of her set. I scooted closer to the stage as people shifted, and at 9:15, the lights were on and out bounced the increasingly floppy haired Mr. Cullum and Co.
I'm desperately trying to remember the setlist, but it was a great mix of numbers from 'Twentysomething' and 'Catching Tales.' I can't quite recall the order, but I'll do my best.
So Jamie comes out, bedecked in suitcoat, red shirt, tie, nice pants... Starts us off with a little stride piano that leads into a touch of 'I Got a Woman' before busting into 'Twentysomething.' Of course, one notices little changes- references to Guinness and a step up into 'drinking TEN pints and getting in fights.' Qu'elle scandale! (*winks to KateC*)
Mid song, he's already tossed off the jacket to reveal his red shirt is just a red track jacket. By the midpoint of the next number, the tie is gone, and the jacket soon follows to showcase another fine Jamie Cullum Tshirt.
Then I think we move into 'Get Your Way', thus hitting up two of the biggest songs from the albums right off. J's got a little doohickey on the piano with the sampling that he can play around with and the result is jammin'.
I think then we get 'Photograph', which is lovely. I had previously found the song a little trite on the album, but when you see Jamie singing his heart out, you realise how very much he means every word of the song (a feeling which comes back to me later).
At this point, he gives a charming introduction to the audience before moving into 'These Are the Days,' which the Zanzibar Blue gig in Philly sold me on almost two years ago. Particularly fun was letting the audience sing the final, FIIIINE!, then letting the band take a turn and having them hold it three times as long. Heh. ;)
We may have had 'Frontin' here- not sure where it came in. There was a big saxophone solo, but since I'm not so fond of the sax, I wasn't overwhelmed. Sad, but true.
It should be noted by this point that I am a Big Concert Bopper. I can't keep still, never have been able to, and the more into it I am, the more the bopping moves into dancing or what amounts to hopping. The nice effect of this is that people make room for the freak and I get some elbow room, which I make full use of. ;) (I'm pooped now and running on adrenaline from two hours ago, so just ignore all those prepositions at the end of sentences)
Then we took it down with 'What a Difference a Day Made,' which was tender and lovely- and when his voice cracked on the last phrase, Jamie took it upon himself to sing it again so he could get it right. Dear boy. :)
He then remarked, Now I give up smoking. But not before I sing this song!, and we all follow along into his rockin' 'Wind Cries Mary,' which J has taken to slyly inserting his own name into at one point. Sadly, the fangirls then proceed to shriek it at EVERY 'Mary', but what can you do. Charmingly, the end features Jamie moving further and further away from the mike to call out 'Mary' and eventually brings him into the audience. There was a terrific jam session in the middle of this song with J's trademark piano thwacking and lots of back and forth between the band.
I think around this point Jamie decided to do '21st Century Kid,' which is another one of those, Oh. I get it now, moments for me. Plus, I realised how kickass that bridge section is- I couldn't keep still even if I wanted to.
Maybe then came a totally rocking 'Nothing I Do,' which is one of my favorite songs from 'Catching Tales',' and he implied that he rarely did this song live. Could well be a lie, but it made me feel special. ;) CLEARLY, he knew I was out there and did it for me. He did a fun little chord building to warm up the guys beforehand to sing the backup harmonies, and they sounded faboo.
Then, the other guys took a break and Jamie did his stunning 'High and Dry'- this song is RUBBISH on the US 'Twentysomething' and only slightly better on 'Pointless Nostalgic,' but if you own the DVD, you know how he does it now- achingly slow, and sublimely beautiful. Plus, he's added in two-part harmony from the audience that sounds GORGEOUS. It didn't segue into 'Singin in the Rain' any more, but maybe that's best associated with one gig in my mind.
I have a question out on the pointlessnostalgic forums about the setlist, but for now, we'll just say that 'London Skies' was next. This is probably the third song of the night that gelled for me for the first time, but I was always ready to love it. As he reached the end, suddenly, it became the first of the mammoth jam sessions. A techie brought out a big drum for J, took his guitar, and handed him drumsticks. We're talking TRIBAL here for the next five minutes, as the entire band abandoned anything but the percussion. It only ended when Jamie fell down in a heap on the stage, seemingly spent, and no small wonder- he couldn't stop jumping up and down as he played. Someone from Atlanta described this as the 'drum orgy' and I can only agree.
Now, I'm really at a loss for what came next. I have a horrible idea that I'm going to miss a song completely, so my forumites need to come through for me! So in no order, thoughts on the rest of the songs:
'Mind Trick'- rocking. We all got to do the Nanana's at the end, and Jamie ended it all with an exuberant jump from off of the piano and the exclamation that the song was what music was supposed to make you feel. I was ready to say HELL yeah.
'Back to the Ground'- this was pretty damn sweet. Again, an awesome bridge, and some great bluesy electric piano, prefaced by the remark that, well, we'd clearly felt the breakup song so hard that we needed the blues.
'Rocketman'- this was a nice touch- Jamie's been singing this one on his own for most of the tour, but the night before, Brandi the Opener joined him on a whim. When it proved a wild success, they decided to try it again, even though most often, these attempts to recreate awesomeness tend to fail miserably. Luckily, this was not the case (even if they needed to turn up B's mic a tad, cos I KNOW she can belt). :) As the song ended, Jamie kept on vamping the chords and it turned into an impromptu jam again. This one was frickin' AWESOME- they usually are, but this was particularly nice, esp cos it was just the trio. By this point, they're so tightly knit that they could do just about anything.
I feel that Rocketman wasn't where we ended, but I have no idea what kickin' song they used to end the set.
Of course, the crowd went WILD when they finished up, so they were bound to come out for an encore. The fangirls cheered, cos Jamie sat down and played the opening of 'All at Sea', which is still AMAZING. But OH, the joy didn't stop there. No, no my friend, this concert was going to clock in at 2.5 hours, and the last twenty minutes of that was all the encore. Through some crazy improv, we went into 'I Get a Kick out of You' (the first Jamie song I ever heard done live, back at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street 2 and a half years ago) and Seb became a MADMAN. He wandered all over the stage, drumming on anything he could find that would make a noise- mic stands, pieces of equipment, the floor, the piano, (taking the lead from an ecstatically grinning Jamie) INSIDE the piano... It was CRAZY and I was flipping out, as you can well imagine. They kept on rockin', and eventually Jamie wandered back to the piano and played the inevitable 'I Could Have Danced All Night.' He spent most of the song away from the piano, of course, because the whole point of his arrangement is that you CAN'T HELP but dance with all thumping bass and drums and a few of us were already jumping, fists pumping the air when he stopped singing and insisted the crowd all jump, and we DID and even though my jeans were falling down because I'd forgotten my belt I don't know the last time I was that happy.
After something like that, you really can't expect any more. We cheered until our lungs were bursting, and the guys took their bows.
Unfortunately, they were doing something totally stupid- anyone who bought a CD at the show got a piece of paper that let them file into a room backstage for some signing and chatting. There aren't WORDS enough for what a horrible idea this is- fans who preordered the CD the first day it was available to do so like yours truly were out of luck. While I'm glad that people who maybe weren't sure what they were getting into last night were converted and got to meet the munchkin, it sucks that longerstanding fans who couldn't afford to buy a second copy of the CD were out of luck. If I had been prepared to wait until 1AM, maybe I could have said Hi as he got into his bus, but B and I were both dehydrated and exhausted and decided to head home. So now, the last two JC concerts I've been to featured LAMEASS excuses that kept me from high-fiving my boy. Luckily, I did have a great chat two years ago and a photo taken by Sam of me towering over Jamie but grinning like a madwoman. Looking at it now, we ARE awfully cute. ;)
As I told Becky while we were trying to figure out how the night was going to work, I've watched favorite artists come and go here in DC several times without my feeling that I had to be there, disappointing though it might be to miss them. This will never be the case with Jamie. He's my drop-everything-and-GO musician. He's become much more of a savvy showman since the first time I saw him, but that incredible, childlike JOY in making his music is still there. He loves what he does and he loves just stepping back and letting his band GO and rocking out to Geoff or Seb like any fan, dancing his little hobbit heart out like we all are in the audience.
He's my guy, and last night will NOT be easily topped.
Things started off a little crazily, trying to meet up with Becky before the gig. Plans were changing left and right, but in the end, we found each other in the middle of the third song. I had stationed myself about 15 ft away from the piano, which is the prime territory for JC viewing, and I wasn't about to move an inch! ;)
I walked in for the opening act's last song- a kickass cover of 'Hallelujah' which made me think that I probably should have tried to hear more of her set. I scooted closer to the stage as people shifted, and at 9:15, the lights were on and out bounced the increasingly floppy haired Mr. Cullum and Co.
I'm desperately trying to remember the setlist, but it was a great mix of numbers from 'Twentysomething' and 'Catching Tales.' I can't quite recall the order, but I'll do my best.
So Jamie comes out, bedecked in suitcoat, red shirt, tie, nice pants... Starts us off with a little stride piano that leads into a touch of 'I Got a Woman' before busting into 'Twentysomething.' Of course, one notices little changes- references to Guinness and a step up into 'drinking TEN pints and getting in fights.' Qu'elle scandale! (*winks to KateC*)
Mid song, he's already tossed off the jacket to reveal his red shirt is just a red track jacket. By the midpoint of the next number, the tie is gone, and the jacket soon follows to showcase another fine Jamie Cullum Tshirt.
Then I think we move into 'Get Your Way', thus hitting up two of the biggest songs from the albums right off. J's got a little doohickey on the piano with the sampling that he can play around with and the result is jammin'.
I think then we get 'Photograph', which is lovely. I had previously found the song a little trite on the album, but when you see Jamie singing his heart out, you realise how very much he means every word of the song (a feeling which comes back to me later).
At this point, he gives a charming introduction to the audience before moving into 'These Are the Days,' which the Zanzibar Blue gig in Philly sold me on almost two years ago. Particularly fun was letting the audience sing the final, FIIIINE!, then letting the band take a turn and having them hold it three times as long. Heh. ;)
We may have had 'Frontin' here- not sure where it came in. There was a big saxophone solo, but since I'm not so fond of the sax, I wasn't overwhelmed. Sad, but true.
It should be noted by this point that I am a Big Concert Bopper. I can't keep still, never have been able to, and the more into it I am, the more the bopping moves into dancing or what amounts to hopping. The nice effect of this is that people make room for the freak and I get some elbow room, which I make full use of. ;) (I'm pooped now and running on adrenaline from two hours ago, so just ignore all those prepositions at the end of sentences)
Then we took it down with 'What a Difference a Day Made,' which was tender and lovely- and when his voice cracked on the last phrase, Jamie took it upon himself to sing it again so he could get it right. Dear boy. :)
He then remarked, Now I give up smoking. But not before I sing this song!, and we all follow along into his rockin' 'Wind Cries Mary,' which J has taken to slyly inserting his own name into at one point. Sadly, the fangirls then proceed to shriek it at EVERY 'Mary', but what can you do. Charmingly, the end features Jamie moving further and further away from the mike to call out 'Mary' and eventually brings him into the audience. There was a terrific jam session in the middle of this song with J's trademark piano thwacking and lots of back and forth between the band.
I think around this point Jamie decided to do '21st Century Kid,' which is another one of those, Oh. I get it now, moments for me. Plus, I realised how kickass that bridge section is- I couldn't keep still even if I wanted to.
Maybe then came a totally rocking 'Nothing I Do,' which is one of my favorite songs from 'Catching Tales',' and he implied that he rarely did this song live. Could well be a lie, but it made me feel special. ;) CLEARLY, he knew I was out there and did it for me. He did a fun little chord building to warm up the guys beforehand to sing the backup harmonies, and they sounded faboo.
Then, the other guys took a break and Jamie did his stunning 'High and Dry'- this song is RUBBISH on the US 'Twentysomething' and only slightly better on 'Pointless Nostalgic,' but if you own the DVD, you know how he does it now- achingly slow, and sublimely beautiful. Plus, he's added in two-part harmony from the audience that sounds GORGEOUS. It didn't segue into 'Singin in the Rain' any more, but maybe that's best associated with one gig in my mind.
I have a question out on the pointlessnostalgic forums about the setlist, but for now, we'll just say that 'London Skies' was next. This is probably the third song of the night that gelled for me for the first time, but I was always ready to love it. As he reached the end, suddenly, it became the first of the mammoth jam sessions. A techie brought out a big drum for J, took his guitar, and handed him drumsticks. We're talking TRIBAL here for the next five minutes, as the entire band abandoned anything but the percussion. It only ended when Jamie fell down in a heap on the stage, seemingly spent, and no small wonder- he couldn't stop jumping up and down as he played. Someone from Atlanta described this as the 'drum orgy' and I can only agree.
Now, I'm really at a loss for what came next. I have a horrible idea that I'm going to miss a song completely, so my forumites need to come through for me! So in no order, thoughts on the rest of the songs:
'Mind Trick'- rocking. We all got to do the Nanana's at the end, and Jamie ended it all with an exuberant jump from off of the piano and the exclamation that the song was what music was supposed to make you feel. I was ready to say HELL yeah.
'Back to the Ground'- this was pretty damn sweet. Again, an awesome bridge, and some great bluesy electric piano, prefaced by the remark that, well, we'd clearly felt the breakup song so hard that we needed the blues.
'Rocketman'- this was a nice touch- Jamie's been singing this one on his own for most of the tour, but the night before, Brandi the Opener joined him on a whim. When it proved a wild success, they decided to try it again, even though most often, these attempts to recreate awesomeness tend to fail miserably. Luckily, this was not the case (even if they needed to turn up B's mic a tad, cos I KNOW she can belt). :) As the song ended, Jamie kept on vamping the chords and it turned into an impromptu jam again. This one was frickin' AWESOME- they usually are, but this was particularly nice, esp cos it was just the trio. By this point, they're so tightly knit that they could do just about anything.
I feel that Rocketman wasn't where we ended, but I have no idea what kickin' song they used to end the set.
Of course, the crowd went WILD when they finished up, so they were bound to come out for an encore. The fangirls cheered, cos Jamie sat down and played the opening of 'All at Sea', which is still AMAZING. But OH, the joy didn't stop there. No, no my friend, this concert was going to clock in at 2.5 hours, and the last twenty minutes of that was all the encore. Through some crazy improv, we went into 'I Get a Kick out of You' (the first Jamie song I ever heard done live, back at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street 2 and a half years ago) and Seb became a MADMAN. He wandered all over the stage, drumming on anything he could find that would make a noise- mic stands, pieces of equipment, the floor, the piano, (taking the lead from an ecstatically grinning Jamie) INSIDE the piano... It was CRAZY and I was flipping out, as you can well imagine. They kept on rockin', and eventually Jamie wandered back to the piano and played the inevitable 'I Could Have Danced All Night.' He spent most of the song away from the piano, of course, because the whole point of his arrangement is that you CAN'T HELP but dance with all thumping bass and drums and a few of us were already jumping, fists pumping the air when he stopped singing and insisted the crowd all jump, and we DID and even though my jeans were falling down because I'd forgotten my belt I don't know the last time I was that happy.
After something like that, you really can't expect any more. We cheered until our lungs were bursting, and the guys took their bows.
Unfortunately, they were doing something totally stupid- anyone who bought a CD at the show got a piece of paper that let them file into a room backstage for some signing and chatting. There aren't WORDS enough for what a horrible idea this is- fans who preordered the CD the first day it was available to do so like yours truly were out of luck. While I'm glad that people who maybe weren't sure what they were getting into last night were converted and got to meet the munchkin, it sucks that longerstanding fans who couldn't afford to buy a second copy of the CD were out of luck. If I had been prepared to wait until 1AM, maybe I could have said Hi as he got into his bus, but B and I were both dehydrated and exhausted and decided to head home. So now, the last two JC concerts I've been to featured LAMEASS excuses that kept me from high-fiving my boy. Luckily, I did have a great chat two years ago and a photo taken by Sam of me towering over Jamie but grinning like a madwoman. Looking at it now, we ARE awfully cute. ;)
As I told Becky while we were trying to figure out how the night was going to work, I've watched favorite artists come and go here in DC several times without my feeling that I had to be there, disappointing though it might be to miss them. This will never be the case with Jamie. He's my drop-everything-and-GO musician. He's become much more of a savvy showman since the first time I saw him, but that incredible, childlike JOY in making his music is still there. He loves what he does and he loves just stepping back and letting his band GO and rocking out to Geoff or Seb like any fan, dancing his little hobbit heart out like we all are in the audience.
He's my guy, and last night will NOT be easily topped.