George Ezra strummed his guitar while singing his lyrics along with the crowd.
By: Emma
To promote his new album, “Wanted On Voyage,” UK singer/songwriter George Ezra and his band performed in the small, but packed venue at Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Aug. 15. Some really dedicated fans waited hours in the 114 degree weather in hopes to be front row at his concert. However, my friends and I decided against waiting in the heat and only stood in line for 30 minutes before the doors opened, at 6:30 p.m.
Once we got inside, to our surprise, we waited another hour before the opening act, Dylan LeBlanc, even came on stage. Having to wait for so long is a little boring, but it all pays off when you are able to hold your close spot to the stage.
LeBlanc sang solo and played slow, acoustic songs with his guitar, accompanied by a violinist and cellist. Together the trio performed soothing melodies, but were in the wrong atmosphere – – a concert. If LeBlanc had a few more upbeat songs to get people excited for the headliner, the crowd would have enjoyed their set more and not have seemed so anxious for the next act.
After taking a “selfie” with the crowd, LeBlanc exited the stage and the crowd prepared for George Ezra. The fans mainly consisted of high schoolers and college students, but there were also older fans scattered amongst the crowd.
Once Ezra appeared, the audience became very energetic and were prepared to sing along. The crowd really did make the concert lively and bright. Everyone seemed like they were having a great time and enjoying themselves, even Ezra.
After almost every lyric, Ezra stepped back from the microphone and played his guitar while swaying and closing his eyes to the beat. He was feeling and showcasing the music and not just the lyrics, and the fans soaked that up. What is very unique about Ezra, is the fact that his voice is so incredibly deep for a 22-year old. His lyrics make him seem much more mature than his age. I also loved the fact that he drank tea in between songs, expressing his British roots on stage.
Based on the fans’ screams, applause and rowdiness his most noted songs were, “Barcelona,” “Budapest,” “Listen to the Man,” “Song 6” and “Stand by your Gun.” Which are coincidentally his most popular songs recorded to date.
George Ezra cracked jokes on stage by explaining his music video for “Blame it on Me.”
I went to the concert knowing barely any lyrics or how Ezra is as an artist, but seeing him perform on stage proved to me his songs are so much better live. You could tell that he enjoyed his songs and performing them to the point where it did not matter if he had already played them a 1,000 times, he loved expressing them, and that is a quality a great musician should have. Some of his songs did sound a little similar to one another, but I believe as Ezra grows as a musician, he will become even more unique by just using his deep range of vocals, energetic vibes and his clever lyrics.
The Marquee Theatre was his last tour date this year, and it was disappointing to see he did not meet his fans outside the venue for autographs or pictures. However, remembering his live performance made up for it.
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