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11th October 2005 - The Irving Plaza, New York - USA
Reviews
12 Oct 2005
from Rebecca K.
Jamie's CD-release night in New York was simply fabulous. He needs to come more often! He is so great live - if he did five shows here, I would see them all! His concerts are so fun for the audience; more than hearing great music, we get to see a true entertainer...Jamie makes sure his fans are having a good time. It was great to hear his new stuff which was only released in the US the day of the concert, and his old tunes were amazing, I'll never tire of them. I brought a friend who was not too familiar with Jamie's music, and she left just as die-hard as I am for his music. Catching Tales is fantastic - I can guarentee that it is all my ipod will be playing for weeks. Thank you for such a wonderful night - I'll be at you next show in New York. Jamie we love you!
12 Oct 2005
from Marie
Fantastic show ñ words are inadequate. Jamie seemed on fire, possessed by the very spirit of music. His energy has to be seen firsthand to be believed: youíve never seen a performer enjoy himself more onstage, and when the artist has a good time, so does the audience. While I wish Jamie were already bigger here in the States ñ thatís coming, I have no doubt! ñ we in New York were fortunate to be able to see him in a small club holding only a few hundred people, so the energy and sense of intimacy were very different from, say, the vibe at a venue like Blenheim Palace, as on the DVD. What the crowd lacked in size, they more than made up for in sound ñ probably the MOST enthusiastic and responsive audience Iíve been a part of in a very long time. This was my first Jamie concert ñ I only discovered him a few months ago, and it was love at first note ñ and, arriving at the hall early since it was a standing-room-only, general-admission venue, I was lucky enough grab a spot right down front at the edge of the stage, right in front of the piano, which is exactly where I wanted to be ñ close enough to watch Jamieís fingers on the keyboard; close enough to see the perspiration roll down his face as he was carried away in the music. Heaven! Jamie and his band played a long, wonderful set ñ about two hours, although it seemed to pass by in a minute ñ combining some old favorites with a good sampling of selections from the excellent new album which went over very well with the audience. A few highlights were a beautiful, dreamy, slowed-down version of ìHigh and Dry;î a very witty ìSeven Days to Change Your Lifeî from the new album, where Jamie wailed his heart out; a very moving ì21st Century Kid,î also from the new one, and an absolutely mesmerizing new take on ìFrontin,î performed amazingly without piano or drums, accompanied only by Geoff providing a big, fat electric bass undercurrent, and Jamie using his own body for percussion; he invited ìanyone in the audienceî to come up on stage to add an impromptu rap, which request, thankfully, was filled by a talented and enjoyable young man from Long Island. Jamie was just breathtaking on this one ñ you couldnít take your eyes off him, not that youíd want to. Itís been said before, but his fans appreciate Jamieís consideration for us: about twenty of us parked ourselves in front of the stage door at the end of the show, and some time later, we first got to talk to a very likeable and chatty Seb when he came out; a bit later, Geoff came out and talked to the fans, and then, there was Jamie himself, as sweet and down-to-earth a young man as you could hope him to be, chatting a bit with each fan, giving kisses to the ladies, and very graciously signing personalized autographs. What a sweetheart! (And I made him laugh, which I think Iíll remember always.) Glad to have been able to ìmeetî him now, because I hope that the next time he comes around, heíll be so popular in the U.S. that it will be much more difficult to get to interact with him like that. In all, an amazing experience. Jamie said heíd be starting a more extensive U.S. tour early in 2006, and that heíd probably be back in New York some time in February or March, so if you missed him this time, get ready for next time ñ if you were there last night, I donít have to tell you to get tickets! Thanks, Jamie, and stay as sweet as you are ñ we love you.
12 Oct 2005
from Ashley R.
My best friend and I spent 2+ hours at Irving Plaza standing ten feet away from Jamie Cullum. He is 26 years old, looks like he's sixteen, acts like he's anywhere between six and sixty. I can't tell you that he sang, because that would be an understatement. He crooned, he keeled, he growled and whispered and scatted and shrieked and moaned. His wail on "These Are The Days" was evenly matched by his barely-there hush on "All At Sea." Every note was perfect, every syllable was impeccably executed in that soulful, raspy, incredibly sexy voice that belongs only to him. I can't tell you that he played the piano, because that would be an understatement. He tickled the ivories with symphonic precision, only to bang on them with his fists a moment later. His hands would move slowly, gently, deliberately, then he'd stop and begin poking out rapid patterns of notes with two fingers. At one point he played the instrument with his feet and his forehead. Then he sat on the keyboard. Then he reached inside the lid and started plucking the strings. Then he stood on the lid and took a flying leap on to the stage. I can't tell you that he played other instruments, because that would be an understatement. He worked a beat box on "Get Your Way" with the enthusiasm of a child with a new toy. He caressed his guitar as if it was a lover while performing "London Skies." His fingers moved so fast over the synthesizer that they were very nearly a blur. He commandeered the drumkit to accompany a rapping audience member whom he invited onstage to do some freestyle in the middle of "Frontin'." Later on, when the beat box and drumkit didn't do what he wanted them to, he lowered a spare microphone to his stomach and used it as a percussion instrument. I can't tell you that he interacted with the audience, because that would be an understatement. He told us when to clap, when to sing along, when to harmonize with him. He taught us a tricky two-part harmony for "High and Dry," then chastised us when the half of the audience covering the alto line fell flat. He scatted with us, chatted with us, told amusing stories about being labeled as a B-list celebrity at the Grammys to us. As previously mentioned, he played a duet with a random rapper pulled out of the audience. He used a bra tossed onstage by one rabid fan to blot his forehead. And the music. Lord, the music. The man can go from Harry Connick Jr. to Radiohead, from a rap to a disco tune, from straight jazz to Lerner and Loewe in two seconds flat without the slightest hesitation, which isn't as simple a feat as one would imagine. And yet all of it sounds incredibly fresh, indescribably appealing, undeniably sexy. He performed a relatively new song that was written during a sleepless night of watching bad TV in Los Angeles, and even a track blatantly about infomercials and televangelism sounded poetic coming from him. Playing music is clearly, visibly a full-body, full-soul experience for Jamie; his every motion, every facial expression evoked pure rapture. His passion was astounding. What a night! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to Jamie's next visit to New York City!
13 Oct 2005
from Donna
First time I ever saw Jamie Live. Travelled 6 hours round trip to get to NYC (in the pouring rain), and it was well-worth it! I had read the sound was not that great at Irving Plaza--but, from where I stood, his voice was clear and smooth...as was the piano. The only troubles came with a few problematic microphones. At one point, early on, he had to start "Photograph" over again, but joked about how "a lesser man would have cracked" under the same circumstances. I was REALLY impressed when he played guitar on London Skies! He needs to do more of that! He was very charismatic. Came across to the crowd as a "buddy" to everyone. Did a nice mix of stuff from twentysomething and catching tales along with a salute to New Orleans "with great respect to Harry Connick". Impromptu, he summoned "any rappers" in the audience to join him on stage. Much to my surprise (in an almost totally white crowd), one rapper was in the house! (Jamie commended him for being gutsy). Also impromptu, he sang "Happy Birthday" to a girl standing in the front...and made a joke about it feeling "just like his cruise ship days." He only did one encore (sigh)--albeit a great one! The crowd seemed into more, but the house brought the screen down and the lights up, signaling the end. (What happened to the NYC with 4 a.m. closings???) No shirts, posters or anything for sale other than the Catching Tales CD, which shocked me! Maybe this is a British thing...because here in the USA, his face would be on EVERYTHING from underwear to peanut butter (and someone would be hawking it in the lobby!). One a** in the crowd kept yelling "Led Zeppelin" at the top of his lungs in between songs and I thought Jamie handled it well by ignoring it. Jamie's voice sounded exactly like the CD's--only a bit raspier on the high notes. No effects on the mic...just Jamie and the gang--down & dirty. There was a lot of "sing-a-long" scatting and group dancing/clapping. All in all it was a terrific, fun, energetic show by a talented group of guys.
13 Oct 2005
from Desiree
I've been an avid Jamie Cullum fan for a year now, & I've been waiting for him to come to the East Coast of the States since. When I found out about the NYC gig, I was very excited & vowed to find a way there from where I attend school at Marywood University in Scranton, PA. And my expectations were met- from the moment Jamie took the stage with a can of Guinness in hand, I knew it was going to be an amazing show. The known tracks were done with just as much enthusiasm as the new ones, and Jamie's love for performing was evident. It was an amazing time, and I can't wait til he's back in the area (just hopefully closer this time!)
16 Oct 2005
from Jordan
It was amazing! The best concert I've ever been too! Thanks Jamie for an awesome night! Jazz on
21 Oct 2005
from Leanne
Myself and two of my friends, Tammy & Lisa, hopped a bus from PA and spent the afternoon in NYC before the show. We were 10th in line around 5:30. CBS came by later and interviewed us - they asked what we liked about Jamie, I said, "What's not to like?!" We could hear Jamie and the band sound checking through the doors. Met some really nice folks in line - Hi to the NJ girl with the braids - got his other towel - you go girl!! We were in the 2nd row right at the piano - what a fabulous show! Jamie came out and started playing and took off his jacket right away - had an adorable red shirt with 2 cherries on it :) After singing a couple songs, my friend Tammy pulled out her poster that read: "Jamie Cullum = #1 B-day Gift". It caught his eye and he stopped mid-sentence to ask if it was her birthday! He asked her name, then proceeded to sit down at the piano and sing Happy Birthday to her! We were stunned and later laughed and cried about it. He's so sweet. We got some fabulous pictures from the 2nd row. Thanks to Mark from Florida who gave us his terrific digital pics! A couple times Jamie reached out to the audience and we all managed to reach out and touch him! I remember touching his fingers then putting my hand to my lips - I could taste the sweat from his fingers - he made eye contact and I blew him a kiss :) 'Frontin' was by far our favorite song for the night - he started drumming on his stomach (after a little preview of his bare skin) - he sung it in a sensual way that drove the girls wild! I'd give anything to freeze that moment in time :) When he left the stage before the encore, Tammy managed to get ahold of one of Jamie's sweaty towels - she's in heaven :) What a birthday present! From the first moment he used the towel, she said she wanted it! He was sweating bullets too - it was very hot in there! After the gig we hung around to meet the band members and hopefully Jamie himself. We first met Bob Dorough, who, as my friend Lisa put it, is an adorable old soul who seemed as if he had just stepped out of a storybook. Then we met Sebastian, and later Geoff, then the newest band member Sam, who seemed surprised that we wanted his autograph. How adorable was he?! They all left at different times and went their own separate way, which we thought was a bit odd. Anyway, Jamie FINALLY came out about 2-hours later! He stopped to chat with us and give autographs and we got a terrific photo with him! He was so gracious, acted surprised that a dozen or so of us actually hung around that long to meet him - so humble, isn't he?! It was surreal in a way, because it was like we already knew him. Hard to describe. He chatted a bit then headed off in a taxi - waved and turned back to look as he drove away :) It was a perfect day in NYC....
23 Oct 2005
from Raquel
Jamie was even better in person that I imagined. He has an awesome stage presence, worked well with the crowd and his band, and showed true professionalism while dealing with faulty microphones. He played for almost two and a half hours- what stamina!!! I was so impressed that he had such an even distribution of old and new songs, all of which were great. And his sense of humor! What a fun guy he must be. And can I mention his very cute and oh-so-talented guitar player, who shocked the crap out of me by playing the trumpet, piano and various percussive instruments? I can't wait to see him again on his next trip to NYC. Favorite songs of the night? 7 Days To Change Your Life and the tribute to New Orleans (It was like Harry Connick, Jr. was right there on stage!) Moment I could have done w/out? Audience member who got up on stage with the weak rhymes during "Frontin". Jamie was great about it, though, and applauded the dude on his "courage".
26 Oct 2005
from Alison Penny
I just wanted to say that this was by far the best concert I have ever been to. Jamie was amazing. I love small venue performances because it is much more intimate and personal. Jamie had a great program planned. He introduced a bunch of the tracks from his new album which were amazing. I thought it was great how he had such a great attitude about the mic problems that he had. He just shrugged it off and went on with the show. Jamies awsome because not only does he look great but he sounds great as well and puts on an awesome show. I can't wait for the new tour of the US. I will be there for sure! Great job JAMIE!!! You're the best!!
01 Nov 2005
from Amaryllis
Incredible performance from an incredible talent. Enough said. I will see him again, anywhere in the world.
02 Nov 2005
from Leanne, Lisa & Tammy
Jamie and the band rock! This was our 2nd Jamie concert and his exuberance on stage never ceases to amaze us - we love how genuine he is with his fans, and for singing Happy Birthday to Tammy! But Frontin' was definitely our favorite of the night :) This time, we met Jamie after the show - it's like we already knew him -- he was so down-to-earth. We love him even more and can't wait for his full US tour - we'll be there with our friends cheering from the front row!!
21 Nov 2005
from Anastasia
This was the best concert I have ever been to. I have been a big Jamie fan for quite some time, and I've watched the live dvd so many times, but actually seeing him in person was better than I ever imagined. I waited in line for hours, but it was worth it because I had an amazing spot up front in the crowd (which helps because I, like Jamie, am quite short!) His voice sounded amazing, his stage presence was amazing, his band was amazing, and he looked amazing. :) I could go on and on, but I'll end by saying that Jamie is one of the most impressive and engaging performers I have ever seen and I can't wait to see him again!!