Seal

Tuesday Apr 20, 2004

"I need love. Love's divine. Please forgive me now I see that I am blind." --Seal

The Warfield, Monday April 19th, 2004 -- 8PM -- Seal.

I have to admit I was still fatigued from my whirlwind time off and from my first day back at work. I even suggested that if offered the right amount of money we should sell our tickets and just go to the movies which I have been known to do in the past*.

When push came to shove, I am glad we went through with attending this performance. For those of you unfamiliar with the Warfield it is an old theatre converted into a modern concert hall (ie. The Riveria, The Vic, and thousands of others just like them). The intimacy of these venues in conjunction with the star power that performs within their very walls can be explosive. Last night was no exception.

Arriving what we perceived to be late, the roommates and I made our way all the way up to the equivalent of third row center. The opening band took the stage shortly thereafter. They were a talented group of grove-funkers who sang songs that had bluesy overtones. Very strong musicians, not incredibly entertaining though. And then he took the stage a half an hour after they cleared it. Completely back lit he looked powerful and yet completely humbled by the roaring ovation he received. Something very honest and true eminated from his body language throughout the performance.

I kept wishing to myself that I knew his music a little bit better. I'd say I knew about 60% of the songs which left me just waiting around the other 4/10's of the time. Truth be told, Seal is not the greatest entertainer. He rarely speaks with the audience, has very little interaction with his band mates, and his songs are often a bit too 'adult contemporary' to really create a fun atmosphere. A Seal show is more like an art show with brilliant vocals and beautiful lighting effects and music. The whole show was made more amazing by the fact that we were so close to him. He could see us and we him so very clearly. It was the closest I have been to an artist since I saw Dave Matthews play solo at a Church in London.

The highlight of the show for me was during his encore when he played a solo number on acoustic guitar. It was completely stripped down and yet his vocal and instrumental dynamics were just that, dynamic. It was a very honest and moving moment especially on a key change when he missed his chord and paused for 20 seconds while the audience roared. Everyone had been in a deep mesmorized silence until his faltering instance and his error created space for the audience to thank him for sharing this trully brilliant song in the form in which it was originally developed. He then picked up the song at the exact same dynamic, tempo, and intensity as if he had never stopped at all. Seal, I do not love all of your music, but your positive messages, vocals, and ability to perform are truly incredible.

*Highschool. Rosemont Theatre. Radiohead was playing a small show. They had not quite reached their global status as they were touring OK Computer at the time. I had a fight with my friend who bought the tickets and when the offer was made for 1000% profit on the ticket for a band I was not yet enamoured with I accepted it and crawled off to sleep in the van. At the time the money was very valuable to me, in retrospect the concert would have been much better. But in bordem after my nap I was able to sneak into the concert hall and catch two songs of the encore. The lights were amazing, but I think that perhaps I wasn't ready for that concert.

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Seal

Tuesday Apr 20, 2004