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EUR CONCERT REVIEW: Anthony Hamilton, Heather Headley, and Van Hunt perform at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles.
I’d normally begin by talking about the opening act, Van Hunt, then I’d work my way up to the headliner, which was Anthony Hamilton in this case, but, as to not dilute the relevance of the opening line, I’ll start with Anthony Hamilton’s set and work backwards.
Hamilton, to me, seems to have a different spirit. He appears to be decidedly unconcerned with “bling,” he curtails his usage of expletives and other untoward language that’s pretty commonplace in today’s music, and he exhibits a strong sense of peace and humility. He’s as gracious and respectable in public as any media trained artist would be, but he seems to come from a more genuine place. After experiencing his performance the other night, I’ve discovered the reason why.
His set included all the elements that you would find at any good live show (and it WAS good): a nicely designed set (his had an elegant/classy touch); amazing backup singers (including a super-sized tenor with the agility of a stickman); a full proficient band (my guest and I kept turning to one another saying, “That band is slamming!”); and the performance of all your favorite songs (the diverse crowd was surprisingly familiar with Hamilton’s repertoire and nearly EVERYONE was on their feet singing along). But, it was when he took the show to church (even transforming the stage to resemble one) that you truly got a sense of what drives Hamilton and powers his raspy, classically soulful voice.
After seamlessly covering familiar material from his two albums, he passionately performed “Preacher’s Daughter,” from his latest album, and then lifted spirits with his anointed delivery of “Pass Me Over,” a spiritual song inspired by his experience with the recent death of his best friend. “Preacher’s Daughter,” a song calling preachers to accountability for their own struggling children, wrapped up with his keyboardist being left onstage alone with one of the background singers hauntingly bellowing, “where were you?” directed toward those neglectful shepherds. The keyboardist kept playing as she disappeared into the shadows and led the way for each piece of the band to then begin returning to the stage, one by one, dressed in white, building up to the full-bodied sound of “Pass Me Over.” Anthony then appeared, accompanied by a small but powerful choir, and fervently brought the song home with his captivatingly distinct voice. His passion for the subject matter was apparent, as he nearly segued into a full-blown altar call by unapologetically evoking the name of Jesus and encouraging others to do the same; “This ain’t for show, this thang is real…I live it,” he sang. He was in no way “ashamed of Him and His words,” and appeared to have a heart for sharing his salvation with anyone that would listen. According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control; and Hamilton has undoubtedly been touched by the spirit – and was given an amazing voice to boot.
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Heather Headley
While Hamilton brought the spirit and soul to the show, along with her big voice, Heather Headley brought the class and professionalism. With a background on Broadway, from being in productions like The Lion King and Aida (for which she won a Tony Award), Headley managed to turn a modest set into full-blown production. In reality, she only had a black curtain, her band members and two background singers to work with, but her physically emotive performance style caused you to imagine all kinds of elaborate props. From a subtle grinding of her foot to a slight widening of her eyes, the confident Headley made you believe you were watching a Broadway production; the girl knows her way around a stage. She compellingly performed all her familiar songs, including “He Is,” “I Wish,” and “In My Mind” from her latest album, Me Time, and threw in couple of the obscure from her first album. She also treated the grown and sexy audience to a medley of past hits from Anita Baker and Babyface, including “Giving You the Best That I’ve Got” and “Whip Appeal.”
I must admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of Headley’s prior to attending the show because I thought she was too “Broadway,” but that very thing is what won me over. In addition, some that had gone to see Hamilton never having heard of Headley signed on as new fans. The petite-framed professional commanded the stage and, I’m sure, sold a few more records after that performance.
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Van Hunt
Atlanta singer-guitarist Van Hunt opened the show with a rather short set, but what I heard of his performance was solid (got there a tad late). He seemed to be channeling prince in his delivery of “Seconds of Pleasure,” probably his most popular song.
All things taken together, it was a very good show and I was certainly glad that I went…
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