Slave to the Music - James Morrison comes to Ireland

James Morrison came to Ireland last week on his world tour to promote his newest album 'The Awakening'. One of the gigs took place in the beautiful Killarney, in the INEC Centre and I was SO EXCITED to be there. The setting was fantastic, perfectly suited for this type of concert - intimate, yet with the crowd atmosphere. The support act, Ryan Sheridan, did a terrific job of warming up the crowd. His energy, passion and absorption in the music was absolutely spine-tingling. Ryan's percussionist Artur Graczyk, who plays the cajon, is in his own league...no drummer that I have ever seen could rival such talent.

The set-list for James Morrison included a mix of old favourites and new hits, sadly with the omission of 'You Make It Real' and 'Once When I Was Little'.

"It's a Beautiful Life"

JM Killarney 23rd August 2012

Beautiful Life

This Boy

In My Dreams

Say Something Now

I Won't Let You Go

Up

Broken Strings

All Around the World

Slave to the Music

Nothing Ever Hurt Like You

I Am A Man

Person I Should Have Been

Precious Love

You Give Me Something

Encore:

The Awakening

Wonderful World

"Let me hear you sing!"

His cover of 'I am a Man' was energetic, he got the crowd involved as much as he could, and it really let his personality shine through. Throughout the concert, he explained the stories behind some of his songs, told funny anecdotes and wasn't afraid of some self-deprecating humour. 'In My Dreams' is a song he wrote to help him with the loss of his father, which he spoke openly and frankly about, calling it "a fuckin' horrible time". In 'Say Something Now', James addresses the awkward situations where people have nothing to say, or when they are afraid to speak their mind.

Rocking it out in the Kingdom

For the encore, James and his band reappeared on stage with pints of Guinness. His enthusiasm and excitement, and his clear love for music were evident to all. Look's like James Morrison really is a 'Slave to the Music'.