‘Beautiful’ Blunt on song at city arena
Christchurch crowds ate out of the palm of James Blunt’s hands on Thursday, during the last stop on his The Afterlove New Zealand tour.
The chart-topping British singersongwriter solidified his world-class entertainer status during an energyfilled performance following on from his Auckland show on Tuesday. Returning to New Zealand since his first visit in 2006, the award-winning artist, who has sold more than 20 million albums and 12 million singles worldwide, was given a warm welcome back by his loyal Kiwi fans.
A commander of the stage during his 90-minute set, the Brit stormed Horncastle Arena, invigorating a sometimes painful and often difficult Christchurch crowd.
He brought audiences to their feet, literally, immediately ordering the seated crowd to ‘‘get the f... up’’, breaking any illusions many had that this could be a dull, slow evening out.
Promoting his fifth studio album The Afterlove, performing new hits including Lose My Number and Make Me Better, he joked about the songs which brought him enormous success.
Blunt first captured the world’s attention in 2004 with his multiplatinum debut Back To Bedlam. Dating back more than a decade, the hits including You’re Beautiful, Goodbye My Lover and Wisemen, had young and old swaying and singing word-for-word.
He threatened audiences he wouldn’t play the 2004 classic You’re Beautiful unless they sung louder, as he believed, ‘‘Kiwis have the voices of angels’’.
Making his way through his fivealbum discography, the snappy performer had audiences spellbound.
Albums All The Lost Souls (2007), Some Kind of Trouble (2010) and Moon Landing (2013) displayed Blunt’s capacity for a range of pop songs, from a spectrum of melancholy ballads to chirpy radio gold.
He ended the set with sing-a-long hits Stay The Nigh, Bonfire Heart and 1973, showing audiences how live music was done by the best.
He turned a potential sop-fest for all the reluctant boyfriends dragged to the show by their partners, into a warm, exuberant breath of fresh air for an audience which loved a good laugh. After New Zealand, The Afterlove tour will continue onto Australia and Asia this month.