Author: Bridget Benevides
I have had an exciting week of concerts, and I couldn’t imagine a better was to commence this crazy week than a concert from George Ezra. He came to The Showbox Sodo on Monday, May 7th and fans from near and far showed up to hear his music.
Even though sometimes people complain about “openers” for their favorite artists, I really love being exposed to new music. I think it is great that bigger artists choose to share their spotlight in order to bring attention to their less recognized friends. One of my favorite artists, Jon Bellion, once talked about how thankful he was for being able to go on tour with Twenty-One Pilots because it helped him gain more fans.
The opener for George Ezra was Noah Kahan. A singer-songwriter from Vermont who makes folk-infused pop in the vein of Ben Howard and Vance Joy. I didn’t realize that I had heard him before until he played his song “Hurt Somebody”. He has such a calming and unique sound that I can’t help but sway to. I can imagine myself listening to his music on a warm spring day with the sun shining, surrounded by good friends. I am excited to continue to listen to Noah Kahan and find more songs of his that put a smile on my face.
I’m not afraid to admit that George is a handsome man, and with his adorable accent and soft smile, I have no doubt I wasn’t the only audience member crushing on him. He wore some fun flowy pants and came to stage with many other people who made up this band. He first sang “Cassy O’”, followed by “Get Away”. He then officially introduced himself and his band. His band included one man on piano, one on drums, two on guitar, one trumpet player and one trombone player (and himself, who played guitar during each song). Each member of the band also sang at one point or another! They were a talented bunch.
I loved the inclusion of instruments such as trombone and trumpet on stage because I think it gives another layer to the music. Brass instruments create such a unique sound, especially together, that really pulled all of the sounds and feelings of each song together.
My favorite part of the show was the very in depth, long stories that George would tell us about his songs before he played them. He said after his first album he went home and hung out with his friends and family, he was comfortable he said. This, however made it hard for him to write songs. So, what he did was he booked a ticket to Europe and found a bunch of random hostels to stay in. He said he wanted to go to a new city/town every day, meet new people, take notes and hopefully find some new songs along the way. The first place he went to was Barcelona. This is how the song “Barcelona” came to be!
He told many stories like this one, keeping our anticipation peaked until the last sentence when he would mention the name of the upcoming song and the audience would erupt in cheers. My favorite songs were “Blame It on Me” and “Barcelona”. He had such charisma and passion. He really felt his music and smiled as he sang which in turn had the members of the audience smiling with their hands in the air. It was such a fun night!
I really enjoyed hearing his music live. It is so unique and catchy. George Ezra is only 22 and is making a name for himself. He was very engaging with the crowd and thankful for their participation.
BRIDGET BENEVIDES | We’re alright together | KXSU Music Reporter