REVIEW: George Ezra, Noah Kahan @ House of Blues 04/22
The House of Blues hosted British sensation George Ezra Sunday night, April 22.
The show opened with Noah Kahan, who soon became a fan favorite. He played five songs, all of which were sung with the same level of sincerity as the last. His nimble and tender voice perfectly complemented George Ezra’s deep, bellow-y voice. His opening song, “Passenger,” immediately hooked everyone in. It was completely silent as his crisp, soulful voice filled the house. His set didn’t take as long as everyone was probably hoping it would. I found myself wanting Kahan to keep singing for a little bit longer; in total, Kahan was on stage for no more than 25 minutes. This was probably the first time I’ve ever truly believed that the opener added to the performer—Kahan and Ezra have similar music styles. Both are singer/songwriters and thus switching between the opener to the performer was almost seamless.
After Kahan, the awaited Ezra strided out with a huge smile smeared across his face. His long legs carried him to center stage where he just took in the crowd—in this moment you could tell how thankful and excited he was to share his stories through his songs. Touring his latest album, Staying at Tamara’s, he played a mixture of old classics and most of his new album. Walking into the concert, I was thinking about the soothing songs Ezra has, and I wasn’t sure how he’d enthuse the crowd, but once the trumpet and trombone players began, everyone was engrossed. To get everyone jazzed up, he started his set with “Cassie-O,” an oldie but a goodie. Between breaths, you could see him passionately dance-squatting and swaying along to the music, all the while smiling at the sound of the crowd singing the lyrics back to him.
He and his crew were wearing all black—black slacks, a black button-down shirt, and a pair of wingtips. The band looked very sleek—it was fitting, as the album Ezra was touring had a simple and clean sound. Before every song, he told the story behind it, notifying the crowd that every song he was performing tonight has fantastic significance. After each song, in true British manner, he thanked us for liking his previous song—a genuine reaction by him.
Throughout the entire concert, for the slow, contemplative music Ezra sang, he was insanely energetic. His strange, dad-like dance moves made an appearance in every single song. There was one point at which he just sat on the ground after squatting with his guitar with his eyes closed and teeth showing. It seemed like Ezra repeated the same stages in every song: 1. Singing with his eyes closed while modestly strumming his guitar; 2. Looking into the crowd and making eye contact with people in the front and then proceeding to smile when he realizes that they are singing along; 3. Crazy jazz legs swinging back and forth and jumping around while pounding his guitar; 4. Thanking the crowd for loving his music. His expressions during the concert informed us of the true passion he put into making and performing each and every one of his songs.
I feel like this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The size of the venue was perfect—not too big, and just intimate enough that he could maintain eye contact with people and express his gratitude through just a single look. I don’t think I will ever forget his green backlit silhouette dancing around with his guitar—a picture I don’t want to escape my memory.
-Dija Munawar