Beginning of this week Jack Savoretti brought the „Singing to Strangers Tour“ to Zurich. At Volkshaus the Brit with Italian roots (and a very strong connection to Switzerland) introduced us to his new album. The new record has a slightly different vibe than the previous ones and therefore changed the general vibe of the show a bit. But Jack still has a killer voice and is so damn charming, I can’t stop liking him! Here’s our Concert Review & Pictures of Jack Savoretti.
Before we got to enjoy Jack’s incredible voice, we had the pleasure to experience another great music act. The sisters Ward Thomas. The twins have beautiful voices and harmonies that you probably only get from siblings/family. Go have a listen and hear for yourself. If you’re planning on seeing Jack on his tour, make sure to come early so you won’t miss these girls perform, they’re soooo good!
Concert Pictures: Ward Thomas @ Volkshaus, Zurich
Jack Savoretti’s Voice – absolutely amazing as usual!
The venue filled up nicely, so when Jack Savoretti took the stage around 20:15 he got to see an almost full balcony and a nice crowd down on the floor. Jack looked dashing as always, black suit, his hair slightly shorter. I have to admit, going to a Jack Savoretti show is not only an amazing experience for your ears (and heart), he’s very easy on the eyes too.
The opening song was also the first song on the new album. “Candlelight”! It feels like there’s a very different atmosphere in the venue, different than what I’m used to at Jacks shows… Obviously, this is something only people that have been to several shows would notice. The album “Singing to Strangers” is a bit “different” – IMO there are more “soft” songs, less grit – which isn’t a bad thing. Don’t get me wrong… They’re beautiful songs for sure! If I compare to shows like Baloise Session, I just can’t help but think “smooth” songs seem to have an impact on the energy in front and on stage. The band has changed a bit, there are two newer members (or at least I haven’t seen them play together in a while), and the set up is slightly different too. I can’t put my finger on how the vibe has changed, or if I like it or not… BUT, there’s a big but! Jack Savoretti is still the same charming, fun and incredibly talented musician. His voice hast this raspy roughness but can be smooth as silk when it needs to be. In the end that is what makes my music loving heart beat faster.
Nice mixture of old and new songs
The setlist did showcase all of his songs, new and old. The set was also nicely split into different sections, some songs with a full band, some only Jack and one more instrument. To our surprise, Jack invited Ward Thomas to join him on stage. The 3 of them then sang a wonderful rendition of The Killers song “Human”. Another personal highlight was Jack playing the piano. Apparently, he lost a bet and therefore had to play it on tour – even though he’s not entirely mastered this instrument yet. But he did great and did his song „Things I Thought I’d Never Do“ justice. It sounded great! I was excited to hear that one of my favorite songs has made it onto the setlist again: Catapult. What a beautiful song, it gets me every time!
During the older songs, I can feel the energy rise again, and that “lost” vibe coming back. But maybe it’s just because I just really enjoy those songs… One of my other highlights was the moment Jack totally misjudged the Swiss audiences sing along capabilities. During the song “Great Mistake” he at some point held the mic towards the crowd – hoping they’d carry the song… You can guess what happened – NOTHING… Realizing that nobody was singing, he kept going like a pro, but did have a little giggle – in that moment, I burst out laughing, partly because it was so funny but at the same time I was so embarrassed by the audience (me included, I didn’t know this particular song too well either). Yaay Zurich!
When Jack Savoretti gets the balcony dancing
Towards the end of the evening, the songs got a bit more up-tempo and more energetic. Starting with “Written in Scars” and “Knock Knock” you could feel the energy rising. People were dancing, even the people up on the balcony got up. Then, this one song that pretty much ALWAYS gets people up and dancing came up: Back Where I Belong. I swear, you just cannot stand still or sit when this song is being performed.
The encores were super cool too. Before performing “Singing to Strangers”, Jack tells us how the title song of the album was inspired. His daughter was once asked by a friend, what her daddy does for a living. Like every dad, Jack was hoping his little girl would see him as some kind of superhero. Well, not this kid. Her answer was so adorable and ice cold at the same time. She didn’t really know, he just goes around the world and sings to strangers. Hahahaha, that brought out quite the laughter in the crowd.
For the last song, Ward Thomas got back on stage. The ladies performed the closing song “Going Home” together with Jack Savoretti and the band. It was a great end to the show! And yes, I still don’t 100% know what to think of that “new vibe”. But what I do know, Jack’s voice and charming personality make up for pretty much everything. He could sing the phonebook and I’d still play it on a neverending loop…
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