Watch George Ezra make live return at intimate London Palladium show
The sunniest man in pop kicked off a string of intimate dates with a balanced look at his career so far
By Nick Reilly
George Ezra kicked off his UK tour last night with an intimate date at the London Palladium which marked his first show in over two and a half years.
The BRIT Award winning singer kicked off a small string of dates at the legendary theatre, ahead of follow-up shows in Manchester and Glasgow later this week.
After opening with the recognisable twang of chirpy comeback single ‘Anyone For You’, Ezra took things straight back to second album ‘Staying At Tamara’s’ for a spirited rendition of ‘Get Away’, which was bolstered in a live environment by his own brass section.
It set the tone for the rest of the night, with Ezra largely eschewing new cuts from upcoming third album ‘Gold Rush Kid’ in favour for some of his biggest hits to date.
This meant a live airing for the First Aid Kit-featuring ‘Saviour’, which offered a rare hint of Ezra’s moodier side, while ‘Did You Hear The Rain’ saw him utilising the power of his band to up the dramatic ante of the performance.
But a glimpse of the future eventually emerged in a live debut for ‘Green Green Grass’, a typically sunny offering inspired by Ezra’s past travels. The song, he explained, came to life on a trip to St Lucia where, fuelled by “lethal” rum punch, he decided to follow the sound of nearby music and ended up in the middle of a funeral with an uncharacteristically upbeat atmosphere.
“Green, green grass, Blue, blue sky, you better throw a party on the day that I die,” he croons on the buoyant new offering.
Ultimately though, it was Ezra’s past charms and perennially sunny-side-up appeal that won through, especially with a closing run of hits that saw him going straight from the arena-filling charms of ‘Paradise’ into fan favourite ‘Blame It On Me’ and ‘Budapest’ – the very track that first secured his name.
And as he inevitably closed with the inescapable ear-worm that is ‘Shotgun’, Ezra’s ability to get the whole crowd dancing proved that he’ll have no trouble doing the same when he plays to 60,000 fans at Finsbury Park this summer. If last night’s performance is anything to go by, it’ll be George providing the sunshine.
George Ezra played:
Anyone For You
Get Away
Barcelona
Pretty Shining People
Listen to the Man
Saviour
Did You Hear The Rain
Don’t Matter Now
Green Green Grass
Hold My Girl
All My Love
Paradise
Blame It On Me
Budapest
Cassy’O
Shotgun