Paolo Nutini Review

Did I miss something? When did it become appropriate to wear sweatpants and a crappy (and ugly) tank to a concert? I am all for casual attire, but come on, put on a pair of jeans at least. And no, a jaunty cap does not dress up the outfit to make it okay.

This chick would likely shop at a newly opened store I discovered on Robson Street on the way to meeting up with Emma before the show. Robson Street. The shopping mecca of Vancouver now has an entire store dedicated to f*cking Crocs. Ugh. Crocs. To me, these "shoes" are wrong on far to many levels to mention. But I can accept someone wearing them in very specific circumstances. And these are: when on a boat or camping. Or on your own property - say if you are doing gardening. But you should never leave the house in them. EVER. F*cking crocs. Ugliest invention ever. Worse than Uggs.

Last night continued my Fall Concert series with Scottish crooner Paolo Nutini playing to a completely sold out show at The Commodore Ballroom. And by completely sold out I mean even the scalpers were out and girls were actually begging at the front entrance.

Emma and I started off with dinner at Subeez one of my favourite places in the city to go out for a relaxed, fun meal. Casual, non-pretentious & funky with an eclectic menu, I always have a great time there. A pitcher of Sangria, amazingly delicious yam fries, fantastic arrancini (risotto & bocconcini dumplings), followed by yummy desert, we made our way up to Granville Street.

I have to cop to a total fangirl moment - we we were walking up Smithe, right by the Orpheum and who should walk by us but Paolo himself! Emma & I looked at each other and did the whole "Was that him - no - wait - that wasn't him, was it?". By the time we figured it was him, he was about 2 blocks away. Sigh.

Paolo finally came on stage just after 10.30 and played for just shy of 90 minutes - including the encore. While that was disappointing, the set itself was outstanding. He is fantastic live. With his thick Scottish brogue, I don't think many in the audience could understand a word he was saying in between songs, but it didn't matter when he started singing. Words cannot express the fabulosity of his voice.

Let me just get this out of the way immediately - those lips..... He has these luscious pouty amazing lips, that you just wanna attach yourself to permanently. The audience - who was predominantly female - would have been fighting me for that opportunity. And the hot blond we saw him with outside wouldn't be too hard to take down ;).

He has a decent sized band - 6 other guys on stage with him. A wide variety of instruments - guitars, banjo's, saxophones, bongos, maraca type things, harmonica's. They all seemed totally into it, and they too were also pretty much universally hot.

He played a mix of songs from his first and second albums. His second album - Sunny Side Up - is a lot more uptempo than the more mellow stylings of his first, album - These Streets. Personally, I am a fan of his older songs. I love love love - Last Request (which was the final song of the night), & Rewind (which he didn't play - booooo).

He is so passionate on stage; pouring everything he has onto the stage and it is like we are getting a glimpse into his very soul when he sings. His voice has a casual soulfulness that belies his young age. His lyrics and voice make him seem a lot older than his 22 years. He is so comfortable on the stage, enjoying what he is doing and loving the time with his band mates. That is what makes a good concert great for me. Someone who is enjoying themselves - not simply there because it is on their tour schedule (Madonna, The Police are 2 examples that spring to mind). Maybe it is because he is not such a big star yet - he hasn't become cynical and jaded quite yet!

I have to give a shout out to the guy standing next to us for about half the show. I have honestly never seen a guy be so into a singer. He was jumping up and down, clapping his hands, singing along. Completely uncensored and not trying at all to be cool. And he wasn't super hammered. It was awesome. Well it was awesome until he abandoned his date (who didn't know Paolo's music) and made his way to the front of the stage about half way through the show. Dude, doesn't matter if she says she's fine with it - not smooth.

This was an awesome, albeit too short concert. Paolo puts on an amazing show, he had the audience in the palm of his hand, literally screaming for more.

Next on Suz' Fall Concert Series is Jack Penate on the 28th. Another UK find. Jack Penate. September 28th. The Venue. See you there?

XO