Um, some people may want to just skip past today’s entry. Especially certain collectibles proprietors in Winnipeg…

Just sayin’…

The Saturday Morning “Nobody-Asked-Me-To-But-Here-I-Go-Anyway” Concert Review” – James Blunt

OK, I’m not going to lie here. We first caught wind of this guy on Saturday Night Live, and became instant fans. Big fans. But I’m also the same guy that has seen Chris de Burgh live in concert almost a half dozen times AND Leo Sayer at least once, so clearly I have no inner strength for resisting high-pitched male voices.

At any rate, we were not alone at this event, as Mr. Blunt packed out the Saddledome for his show.

The crowd was somewhat demographically similar to the one that also attended The Who recently, however unlike those fans, these people will likely remember where they were last night. Not a whiff of narcotic substances in the air that I could detect, although I could swear at one point I could smell lavender vanilla cranberry candles…

Actually, the crowd was skewed just a shade to the female side, but there were lots of guys there as well.

Opening act Starsailor was a bit Matchbox 20ish, with their lead singer and guitarist even looking a bit like Rob Thomas. I wouldn’t have known them if I tripped over them on the subway, but they got the crowd going, and the younger ones clearly knew their hit.

They did do a terrific unplugged medley of two Neil Young tunes though, before kicking into Silence is Easy, so I’d have to say we enjoyed them as well…

But we weren’t there to see starry sailors, we were there to see James Blunt, dammit!

Which we did.

I never got to experience Beatlemania, but this guy came dangerously close to maybe being a distant relative of that hysteria. The crowd went freakin’ nuts, and the younger members of that female-skewed audience squealed incessantly. And sang along with every song. Even the new ones!! Which by the way, if you enjoyed his first album, the next one sounds just as good.

If you hated it, prepare for another year of Bluntmania…

But I digress. Mr. Blunt was an excellent showman, and the comparison to classic Chris de Burgh is not at all unfair, as he uses some similar melodramatic devices in his songwriting. And he can cover Supertramp pretty well as well, apparently. Both he and his warm-up act used a fair bit of wah-wah pedal, which you just don't hear much anymore...

Two big thumbs, way, way up!!

Chow for now!!