Hype can be a dangerous concept when it comes to touring musicians; while more often than not, highly anticipated artists will deliver an outstanding show, there’s always the chance you’ll be left feeling disheartened.
It pains me to say it, but Leon Bridges’ Sydney show at Hordern Pavilion (17 January) was a performance that, personally, just didn’t hit the mark.
Opening the show was (the relatively) newcomer Noah Kahan. Hailing from Strafford, Vermont, Noah spoke candidly about growing up in a small town and how this inevitably shaped his music career and sound.
While ‘Hurt Somebody’ is easily his most known track, Noah proved to the Sydney audience that he’s far more than a one-trick pony. It was his crisp vocals and extremely polished musicianship that really blew me away; I’m not sure you could fault a single note throughout the entire set.
While Noah tackles some heavy themes with his music, the atmosphere inside the Hordern Pavilion never seemed to waiver. This was a set that really took me off guard as I’ve got to say, I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did.
Cheekily teasing the crowd from the wings of the stage, Leon Bridges continued to build the level of anticipation inside the venue as his band began to play.
Bursting onto the stage, Leon launched straight into ‘If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)’, which was such a great choice for an opening track. With the crowd now practically spilling out of the Hordern Pavilion, it was a strong start to the show.
It was after a few songs in, however, that the set started to become inconsistent. There were some incredibly tender moments throughout the night; when Leon and the band began to play ‘Coming Home’, the entirety of the Hordern Pavilion erupted into song, crooning along with band.
Even though the venue was packed to the brim, there still seemed to be ample room for the crowd to slow dance along to ‘Beyond’ in the mosh. Or if, like one couple, you wanted to swing your lady around the grandstands while you’re standing in the second row, then by all means. Apparently, anything goes when it comes to soul music.
Musically speaking, the performance was excellent; however, it was the lack of onstage energy that really seemed to rob the show of the praise and hype that it had garnered in the lead up to the tour. For such a funk and blues-based album, ‘Good Thing’ didn’t translate as well as I’d hoped in a live setting; the tracks were really missing the depth that the brass instruments bring to the music.
It was Leon's older tracks like ’Smooth Sailin’’ and ‘Better Man’ that really shone through the set, bringing with them a vigour and charm the remainder of the show seemed to lack.
I could imagine in a festival environment that this set could have been something exceptional. I’m sure there’s a saying about how anything can be improved with a little bit of brass and to be honest, I don’t think a cheeky trumpet would’ve gone astray.
