RSS
Home
Josh Groban PBS Soundstage concert review
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Many PBS stations offer the DVD as a pledge gift
PBS featured the show Josh Groban: An evening in New York City as part of its pledge drive this month. The concert was taped for the PBS show, Soundstage, at the Rose Theater in New York City last year. The size of the venue offered a much more intimate setting than the typical venue on the Awake concert tour. The singer even joked about the audience being so close that they could “throw tomatoes” at him. There was no chance of tomato throwing at this event. The concert was a brilliant display of his vocal talent.
The show opened with the song “You Are Loved” which featured a much more complex arrangement than on the Awake album. The song was understated yet still uplifting. In the song “Lullaby,” the vocoder was dropped and replaced with the serene harmony of backup singers. It was performed in its purest form with just piano and somewhat hushed, angelic voices echoing throughout the theater. It is what a lullaby should sound like. Other highlights of the show were a funky solo by Paul Simon’s former bassist, Bakithi Kumalo and accompaniments by Chris Botti and Herbie Hancock. Botti’s trumpet added some richness to the song “Broken Vow.” Hancock is a master at the keys. His collaboration on “Machine” proved that Josh can make people want to dance.
Josh has definitely grown as an artist. This is a far cry from his humble beginnings under David Foster’s wing. When compared to his first PBS performance back in 2002, he has matured by leaps and bounds. He has broken out of his shell and taken more risks with his music. From the cinematography, to the stage set, the Soundstage show had a much more polished look. Josh has expressed his interest in doing more stripped down shows in smaller venues on the next tour. If this is an example of what’s to come, then it surely should not be missed.
Related Articles:
Comments
