Joe puts his troubles behind him as top showman dazzles fans
IT’S not been the easiest of weeks for Joe McElderry but the X Factor winner put the drama behind him in the best way possible by treating his fans to a barnstorming show on Saturday night.
The South Shields singer hit the headlines earlier on in the day after his Consett show was cancelled after a threat was made against him but there were absolutely no signs of any fear or nerves as he cut a confident presence on stage to play to a full house at Playhouse Whitley Bay.
Opening with a medley from movie of the moment The Greatest Showman, which featured A Million Dreams, From Now On and This is Me, Joe was, to excuse the very opportunistic pun, every inch the showman from start to finish.
The first half was quite a subdued affair but gave Joe an ideal opportunity to show off the vocal range that saw him to victory on The X Factor NINE years ago – where has the time gone?!
Original track Memory of You sat perfectly alongside covers of A Different Corner, Where You Are, Unbreak My Heart and of course Nessun Dorma, which saw him into the interval with a well-deserved standing ovation.
There wasn’t much need for people to take their seats for the second half as thanks to a much more up tempo setlist, they weren’t in them for long.
Fan favourite the Jukebox Joe section threw up an eclectic mix of requests included Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Believing and even Proud Mary, with Joe giving Tina Turner a run for her money with his dance moves!
The punters lapped up a well put together and well executed mash-up of Rita Ora’s Anywhere and Dua Lipa’s New Rules, while there was also an outing for the insanely catchy Fahrenheit from Joe’s debut album Wide Awake.
The night ended on a real high with Hollywood and the 26-year-old’s fans gave him a reception which must have really warmed his heart after a tough 24 hours.
There’s a reason Joe won X Factor – he’s got an absolutely stunning voice and once again he used it to great effect.