Another night, another concert, this time it was James Arthur at Baloise Session in Basel. The British singer-songwriter first made a name for himself by winning The X Factor back in 2012. He has since given us big, emotional hits like Impossible, Say You Won’t Let Go or Naked.
I’ve seen James a bunch of times over the years, but not for quite a while now. So I was intrigued to see how he has evolved. I have to admit, it can’t be an easy task to come on stage after Nicotine Dolls. I might be a bit biased on this one, as you can probably tell from my review of their set :)… But the James Arthur fans in the room were excited, and that’s what counts.
Impossible Brings the Fans to the Stage
When James started playing his second song, Impossible, his breakout single back then, you could see that many fans were ready to storm to the stage. And right after the song, they did. It got a bit tight for us photographers during the last song we got to shoot, but it was really nice to see how excited some of those fans were, singing along like there was no tomorrow.
Jokes That Didn’t Quite Land
As for James, I feel like he might not have been aware of what kind of audience was going to be there. Apart from the fans who were able to score tickets, the room was mainly filled with older folks, possibly corporate guests invited by the sponsors, who might not all be super fluent in English. He tried to crack some jokes in the beginning, but they didn’t really hit. It’s kinda hard to talk about STDs in front of that crowd 😀 I thought it was funny, but many others didn’t get the joke.
A Little Rock Star Attitude at a Laid-Back Festival
Baloise Session is known for its laid-back atmosphere. The audience is mostly very appreciative of the artists, but some artists might find them a little too quiet and not very active. The Rick Astley and Nile Rodgers & Chic night earlier in the festival was very much the exception. James should know this, since he played the opening night here back in 2015, sharing the evening with Sarah Connor. But that was ages ago, so maybe he forgot? Whatever the reason, it kinda felt like he was a bit pissed off at times.
He has always had an “attitude” on stage, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s more of a little rock star image, which fits him well, to be fair. But here it felt a bit off. Then again, maybe that’s just me.
Either way, the songs and hits were still great to hear live, and James is no doubt a talented artist 🙂
James Arthur at Baloise Session: Concert Photos
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Fiona Davies
November 3, 2026 (00:11)
It was just you. 😜 The members of our fan group who were there absolutely loved it. James is just James, but he does have anxiety, so these kind of articles probably don’t help.
Shirley
November 3, 2026 (07:57)
Haha, fair enough, guilty as charged! 😜 It’s all good, shows are super subjective, and that’s half the fun of writing about them.
I could tell the actual fans were having the time of their lives. It’s an amazing setting to see your fave artist, and James is still a great musician, even with my critical little opinion hovering in the background.
I was talking more about the part of the crowd that wasn’t super fans, and at this festival, those people usually outnumber the true fans. But in the end, the fans were happy, and that’s what counts. And for the record, I was happy to be there too! 🙂
Gudgeon
November 3, 2026 (02:25)
JA performed at Balloise back in 2016….great Anniversary gig for him of his fantastic album Back From The Edge….he would know the audience he was getting! Us fans older or younger know his humour well and his struggles with MH and ADHD….listen to his latest masterpiece album Pisces!
Shirley
November 3, 2026 (08:06)
True, he’s played Baloise before, but that was back in 2015 and he’s done hundreds of shows since. No shame in not remembering every crowd, I can barely remember what I had for lunch yesterday 😄
But shows are subjective and this is just my opinion. I could see the actual fans were having a great time, and that’s lovely to see. And don’t worry, I do listen to his music and really appreciate him as an artist, even if my review might suggest I spent the night with my arms crossed. Pisces is already on my radar, so thanks for the nudge!