Sarah from http://teamplaid.com attended the Elliott Yamin concert Sunday night at the House of Blues in Orlando Florida. Here is her recap:
The concert was GREAT. Im really glad we got there early. Well, on time, really, but you know what I mean. My roommate and I both loved both opening acts. Josh Hoge has SO much soul in his voice, but on the whole, his songs seem pretty versatile. He was fantastic – his whole set was acoustic. His …breakup song, 360? Yeah, totally identified with that, and I told him as much when I got the chance to talk to him later. Oh a little Josh Hoge scoop – he been signed to a new label out of New York and is going into the studio in January to begin recording a full length album that will be released sometime next spring or early summer, they hope. He also been signed to an endorsement deal with Geico and has some big things with them in the works. And yeah – he not bad on the eyes at all. Okay ¦
The Last Goodnight – also fantastic!! My roommate loved the 80 influences in their sound. *cough* At first, I thought the lead singer looked a little like Adam Levine, but as their set continued my roommate pointed out that he looks more like a non-tatted up Joel Madden, and I TOTALLY see that! Anyway, we both agree that The Last Goodnight should definitely make it big. The band is tight and they have a great sound. It obvious that theyve been playing together for a while – their transitions are seamless. It also obvious that their target demographic is young females – not unlike Maroon 5 – and the ladies there tonight certainly responded well to them. And my roommate and I both recognized their single as a song wed heard before, so that a good thing. Anyway, we really really liked both opening acts. So, if youre going to an Elliott concert – make sure you get there on time!!!
Okay ¦ Elliott!!!
Love him. The crowd was crazy for him, and he made several comments about how loud and great we were. Heh. :) Sway is still doing backup for him, and they sound really good harmonizing. Elliott looked and sounded really great ¦ …Trainwreck live? Magic. That seriously my favorite song on the album, and yeah, it was great. I also really liked …Alright, …Free, …Take My Breath Away, …Movin On ¦ you know, I really liked the live versions of all the songs. The live versions have a more funky feel, which I LOVE, because Elliott voice lends itself very well to more than just straight up R&B. His voice is just fantastic, and his timing is just perfect. He doesnt do too many runs, and the ones he does, he puts in just the right places. Great musical instincts, that boy. And his band is fantastic.
I really started liking Elliott after I saw him on the tour of the season 5 top 10. This is the first time Ive seen him on his solo tour, and while I wont necessarily travel a long way to go to a concert, any time he in Orlando or Tampa, you better believe Ill be there. His stage presence has improved a million times over from the Idol stage, and it great to see him interacting with the crowd. He not necessarily a natural born performer – but, you know performing skills can be taught and learned. A voice like that? Cannot.
We didnt get to meet him *sniff* but you know, it okay. They kicked us out before he could come out to the merch table – Sunday night is a big club night at the HOB, so they had to open back up pretty soon after the concert ended. We waited by a fence that his buses were supposedly behind, but one of the roadies said he most likely wouldnt come outside the fence. Boo. That okay though. :)
Anyway, the crowd was pretty diverse. There were some parents there with young teenagers. There were some older teenagers there. There were some grandmas there, too. :) But, most of the crowd seemed to be in the 20-50 age range, with more guys than I expected. The House of Blues is a GREAT venue for a concert, and I especially like this one, because it less than 10 minutes from where I live. Heh. And you dont have to pay for parking, which is even nicer.
So yeah ¦ come early, hang out by the merch table between sets, because you might get to meet Josh Hoge ;) (but dont let a random drunk girl take your pic with him because shell cut off his head in the pic), and come expecting a great concert. Totally worth it!!
