12 November 2013 (gig)
11 November 2013
Hundreds of fans could be seen swarming around Cardiff on Monday evening in order to eagerly catch the final date of Jessie J's A.L.I.V.E tour in Cardiff’s Motorpoint arena. Having previously postponing the date to work on her recently released album, there seemed an extra value of excitement had been added to this show.
Opening for Jessie J cannot be the easiest of jobs, however Californian singer Olivia Somerlyn kicked the show off with a bang and did a great job of getting the sold out Motorpoint arena fired up. Her fun and catchy lyrics paired with one hell of a standalone voice ensured she wasn't going to be forgotten as soon as she left the stage. Songs such as 'Only in the Movies' and 'Better with You' got the crowd singing loudly and will easily ensure that this rising star is soon to be headlining shows off her own!
Up next is Lawson, who is clearly not any strangers to Cardiff, having recently played to a sold out Great Hall earlier this year. It seemed a big step up for Lawson performing in front of ten thousand and from the outset; they were never the stereotypical boy band. Playing instruments and writing their own songs meant they were somewhat unusual for this composed genre. Opening with the bouncy ‘Broken-hearted’ Lawson’s live performance was gritty and real with a huge amount of passion showing that this band has a genuine love for music while completely owning the stage. The top ten singles ‘Taking over me,’ ‘When She Was Mine’ and ‘Standing in the Dark,’ were definite crowd favourites and had every single fan singing along as if Lawson were the headliners. Ending their set with new single Juliet, Lawson left the Cardiff crowd hungry for more, here’s hoping that the band don’t leave it too long before coming back again.
As the lights go down, the atmosphere turned electric as screams echoed through the Motorpoint arena. Speakers blasted an introduction, teasing Jessie’s appearance on screens around the venue,. Wasting no time, Jessie busted into the powering ‘Big White Room’. Splitting her show into five sections, the voice judge used songs that were dedicated to a different life lesson. The aim to add structure to the show worked well, even if it was slightly predictable. Each section had a completely different feeling, and was used to spell out, you guessed it, A.L.I.V.E.
‘Domino’ and ‘Do It like a Dude’ were her to-be-expected crowd pleaser's, but her vocal acrobatics ensured the crowd’s adulation of Jessie J lasted her entire 90-minute set. The star had a natural relationship with the audience, the star launched into off the cuff conversations with her fans, giving the huge venue an intimate feeling and even sang happy birthday to one lucky fan!
Jessie's confidence may have landed her a few haters but it is exactly the reason she can command an arena-sized crowd. She never looks fearful or nervous - though she appears vulnerable during 'Who You Are' and stomps defiantly during 'Conquer the World'. Her vocals need not be commented on - they were flawless. Her abilities to hit every note on the scale can quite easily grate on people's nerves, but in her own show, it's the perfect platform to hammer out the voice that has secured her massive success in her relatively short career so far.
The show concluded with Jessie rising onto the stage like a phoenix in gold to perform a bass-heavy remix of her hit song ‘Price tag’ and ‘its My Party’ - a suitably perfect finale to a flawless performance, which left the crowd singing and dancing on their way home. There was a fantastic feel to this event; the bright lights, colours, costumes and a young captivated audience that were consistently engaged with every moment of the show.
