Can you like an artist without loving his music?
I never understand Jazz music, even the commercial and pop version of it, like Michael Buble’s and Jamie Cullum‘s songs. I found it boooooring, just not my favorite kind of music. Honestly, I bought Jamie Cullum concert ticket in the first place just because a jazz fanatic friend said that Jamie always performs very well and amazing on the stage, for example by standing on the piano. And he is famous. So I bought it. I didn’t realize he is THAT famous, because the tickets sold very quickly. On the third day it was released in SISTIC, we only could get seats back on the forth floor (considering the price tho)!
Last Tuesday Jamie performed in the fantastic Esplanade Concert Hall. That was my first time coming into that beautiful hall (even Jamie himself admired the hall). Not like other concerts I have watched, this show was very on time, and no admission after the show started (made us running along the way there). He turned up in shirt, coat, tie and jeans (very cute!) with 3 other supporting musician guys who played drums, violin, bass, guitar, piano, percussion and trumpet.
I didn’t care about his music but I really love his performance! He was funny and interactive with audience. For example after about 2 or 3 songs, he glanced at few audiences in the front seats who just came in (I don’t get it why they could come in, I thought the door had been closed) and joked to them “don’t worry, you don’t miss anything.” And yes, he did standing on the piano and jumped off from it. He was very energetic and lively, I wonder if he drank any dopes (in a good way).
One of the songs I remember was Twenty Something. Because he made a speech before it, he sang that because in the previous concerts, a girl approached him and asked why he didn’t sing that song which was her favorite. He said, simple because he’s turned thirty now. But then he sang it for us in Singapore. I never listened to it before, but I know the lyric. Because a friend (the same person who recommended this concert to me) sent me this lyric two years ago, when I was stressful about my life (not like I am over it now, but trust me it was pretty worse at that time, you know… quarter life crisis). Here is a part of the lyrics:
After years of expensive education,
a car full of books and anticipation,
I’m an expert on Shakespeare and that’s a hell of a lot
but the world don’t need scholars as much as I thought.
Maybe I’ll go traveling for a year,
finding myself or start a career.
I could work for the poor though I’m hungry for fame
we all seem so different but we’re just the same.
I don’t want to get up, just let me lie in,
leave me alone, I’m a twenty something.
But I’m still having fun and I guess that’s the key,
I’m a twenty something and I’ll keep being me.
Very inspiring for teenagers going adults when they choose their future path.
The other amazing thing he did was recording his voices in such many ways to be replayed while he sang, it was becoming a music only with his recorded voices (all supporting guys didn’t take any part). While the other amuse thing he did was when he performed Cry Me a River from Justin Timberlake, in the chorus part he inserted once: “Get over Britney!”
To sum it up, he’s really got the talents!
