Photo by Darren Ankemann
The Scene: The Bluebird Theater hosted budding singer-songwriter Vance Joy this past Saturday night. Upon walking towards a sold-out show on a cold Colorado night, a concert-goer fears long lines at the box office in their thin jackets, but no lines formed outside (or inside) the venue. The show was relatively empty following the opening act and the crowd didn’t really emerge until the headliners’ first strum. This is something to begin expecting for your typical weekend show, if you weren’t already.
Vance Joy: James Keogh, the emerging Australian artist known as Vance Joy, is still getting used to his quick rise to fame. While he’ll return to Colorado next month with Cage the Elephant for 1stBank Center’s Not-So-Silent-Night, his big break falls in the hands of Pop icon, Taylor Swift, with whom he’ll be touring next year.
When Vance Joy took the stage he greeted the crowd with a crooked, yet endearing, smile. His disheveled curls, five o’clock shadow, and Australian accent had the girls swooning. He opened with the soft “Emmylou” which was his first Spotify Session as an artist. He whipped out the electric ukulele to perform “Play with Fire,” his trademark shaky voice ringing out. The next song, “Winds of Change,” was the first song Keogh had ever written, and he sang it with the raw emotion you’d imagine he felt on that very day. “Georgia” followed, reciting his angst and hurt towards a loved one—a common theme in his debut album, Dream Your Life Away. He doesn’t have a sad, defeated sound. He’s a whimsical gent who has love and lost and has the grace to keep his chin up.
A few songs later, Vance Joy was left alone on the stage proclaiming his solo talent on stage for “My Kind of Man.” This prefaced the ever-so wonderful “From Afar,” another love ballad. Keogh held no surprises for this crowd as he stated only a few songs were left. With no encore needed, Vance Joy picked up his electric ukulele once again, busting right into the hit single “Riptide.” Cheers ensued following this song’s end and the show would end with the second single from his debut album, “Mess is Mine.” He ended the show with several gracious “Thank you’s” and walked away humbly.
Overall, the show was beautiful and he no doubt has some raw talent. While the musicianship is nothing far from the standard C-chord strum, Vance Joy’s shaken vocals are not to be dismissed so easily. The singer-songwriter genre is better with him in it, but who knows if he’ll follow Taylor Swift’s footsteps and veer towards the pop wire. Let’s just hope he isn’t the subject of Ms. Swift’s next single.
Energy: A
Musicianship: B+
Sound: A
Stage Presence: A-
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: A-
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