Blunt addresses the heart at Riviera
James Blunt’s concert at a sold-out Riviera Theatre on Friday might be the most thoroughly documented local event of 2008. Every time the lanky Brit walked near the lip of the stage, dozens of cameras were thrust into the air, fans snapping pictures. .So it was ironic when Blunt, whose 2004 debut “Back to Bedlam” sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, lashed out at celebrity culture. He slammed photographers tracking stars such as Britney Spears, and briefly channeled grandiose U2 frontman Bono as he introduced the war-torn “No Bravery” as a “song about life and death … and the motion of humanity.”The remainder of the 90-minute, 18-song performance dealt with matters of the heart. Blunt, backed by a four-piece band, delivered his lyrics like a raspy Casanova. On “Give Me Some Love,” he trumpeted his sincerity (”Mine is not a heart of stone”) while courting a would-be flame; “Goodbye My Lover” was a tearful breakup disguised as a funeral oration; “You’re Beautiful,” wisely dispatched with little fanfare 45 minutes into the set, traded in unrequited love.
Tags: debut, mance
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Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at 9:44 pm under