As a former Australian Rules Football player Vance Joy was well prepared in case his fans at the Northrop Auditorium should loose control and do something rash like leaving their assigned seat. Thankfully he did not have to fall back on that particular skill set although there were a few close calls. The 28 year old Aussie singer-songwriter is still riding high on his 2014 release “Dream Your Life Away” that gave us hits such as “Riptide” and played huge venues opening for Taylor Swift.
Starting the show was Armstong Leigh, a duo made up of Michelle Armstrong and Cristopher Leigh. The Austin, TX artists reconnected at a Bruce Springsteen concert in LA and the rest is history. The combo of Armstrong’s voice with Leigh’s guitar riffs worked quite well. The duo did look at bit small on the large stage which impacted their stage presence. I would love see them in a more interesting setting.
Next up: Reuben And The Dark, a group of musicians centered on singer Reuben Bullock. Their debut album “Funeral Sky” has become a fan favorit in the indie scene. The Calgary band’s set was folksy while lively and provided a good transition to the main act.
To the cheers of the audience Vance Joy took to the stage promptly at the scheduled time. There was a bit of a musical build up from the band first but the entrance was low on drama. Opening with “This Mess is Mine” Joy set the pace for the evening as relaxed yet fun and about his music rather than glitz and glamour. The stage setup was focused on him with the band silhouettes against the back drop and warm tone lights bathing the stage when called for. Vance Joy saved “Riptide” and his new single “Fire and Flood” for the end of his set. Overall a very well delivered show that met all his fans’ expectations.
Set List: Mess is Mine / Red Eye / Winds of Change / Straight Into Your Arms / Follow You Into the Dark / Play With Fire / Emmylou / Georgia / Wasted Time / From Afar / Best That I Can / All I Ever Wanted / Riptide / You Can Call Me Al / Encore: Fire and the Flood
