James Arthur
May 17, 2024
Capital One City Parks Foundation Summerstage
NYC
by Shrithik Karthik
James Arthur visited New York City on Friday, May 17th, for his Bitter Sweet Love tour. He performed at Capital One City Parks Foundation Summerstage and gave an unforgettable performance that was so fun to experience!
The show began with Forest Blakk, the only opener, and I was unfamiliar with him, but wow, he was so fun to watch. He did a fantastic job warming up the crowd and was so interactive, as it is only a 40-minute set. The band did a really great job of playing everything live, and there was almost no backtrack. He interacted with the crowd, which is always a nice touch. What made this performance unique compared to the many I’ve seen was how he developed a story over the songs he performed. He made a lot of connections both to his life and also to the audience. Talking about how he came from nothing as he was living in his car 5 years ago, talking about his wife, asking the crowd to put their middle fingers up if they have ever been screwed up, and more. The storytelling mixed in with the actual performance was lovely to see and hear, making it such a good time. His music ranged in vibes, going from sad to more upbeat, but he controlled the crowd as he had a fabulous stage presence. Near the end of his set, he played the song that changed his life, “If You Love Her,” which most of the crowd knew, and he let us sing. The look on his face as we sang one of his most famous songs was priceless; to hear over a few thousand people sing his song so well must have been a fantastic feeling. He thanked us for being such a great city filled with real people and then left the stage.
Before James Arthur came on, I took a moment to admire the stage and this venue; this was the first time I had been to a concert at Capital One City Parks Foundation Summerstage, right in Central Park’s heart. It was just a really fantastic venue. There were many things to love, most notably the two large screens on both sides of the stage walls that broadcasted the performances. Since this was mostly all GA, it can be challenging to see the performances sometimes. Still, these high-quality large screens made it relatively easy to see the performances, mainly because they also often switched angles. With such easy access to the subway, taxis, and busses, this venue was definitely one of my personal favorites in New York City.
It was now finally time for the central performance of the night, James Arthur! He came out around 8:20, mainly due to the time the tour spent setting up the stage and getting everything ready, but he immediately put on a show. Rushing out onto the stage, playing some of his more hype music, was enthralling and got the crowd going instantly. The stage lights were excellent, with light stairs that made for great pictures and lit up James well. The band was placed throughout the stage with enough space to make James stand out. The entire performance was such a show; he made us jump around, clap our hands, shout, sing, cry, and many more emotions. His voice live was something else altogether. Angelic wasn’t enough to describe how amazing he sounded; it was perfect. His vocal straining during some of his songs sounded so damn good, and it just goes to show how much talent he has. He hopped on the piano during the set to perform a song with Forest Blakk and asked the crowd to all shine their flashlights in the air, which was so lovely to see, especially from the bleachers. They both performed a song together, which was very wholesome, and the crowd sang the song together, which just felt like one big party.
The funny thing I noticed about his performance was that he did not sound British when he was singing, but when he talked to the crowd, he sounded so British. He, too, built a story through his performance, talking about all the struggles he’s faced over the years and how he overcame them. He spoke of his past and how many songs have been built around pain and love. It changed the crowd’s mood, but many people shed some much-needed tears. To bring the vibe back, James performed a song that he told us people had been proposing to on tour. Obviously, this foreshadowed what was about to happen, and then, as he got into the song, a couple near me got proposed to, which was so adorable and heartwarming to see. James even pointed to the couple and congratulated them. I hope they were huge fans because that is so full circle to see. The crowd was filled with huge fans of James Arthur; one girl even had a back tattoo of one of his albums, “It’ll All Make Sense In The End.” He made sure to point that out and even made a joke as she was showing him, asking her if what she was about to do was PG. The last few songs that really made the crowd go crazy were “Trainwreck,” “A Thousand Years,” and ended with “Say You Won’t Let Go,” which was by far his most famous song with over two billion plays on Spotify. His US tour is almost over, but he has a few more dates, so you should definitely check him out to see if he comes to a city near you! This was such a fantastic performance, and I hope to see him on tour again!
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