James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
- English singer-songwriter James Blunt performed in Cape Town at the Grand Arena, GrandWest, on 12 September 2024.
- The concert was part of the singer’s world tour to promote his latest album, Who We Used to Be.
- Blunt played all his hits from his 20-year career, including You’re Beautiful, 1973, Bonfire and more.
English singer-songwriter James Blunt performed in Cape Town on Thursday night as part of his world tour, which has already taken him to Amsterdam, Milan, Manchester, etc.
Twenty years ago, Blunt burst onto the music scene with his debut album Back to Bedlam – a stacked record including the hits High, You’re Beautiful, Wisemen and Goodbye My Lover.
The singer is set to embark on a 20th-anniversary tour for Back to Bedlam in 2025.
After his debut, Blunt would drop more hits with his subsequent albums, with considerable air-time deep into the 2010s with each new release.
He published his latest full-length LP, Who We Used to Be, in October 2023.
During his Cape Town concert, Blunt joked about how fans don’t really go to his concerts to hear his new material.
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
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James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
News24
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
News24
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
News24
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
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Early in the show, he asked the crowd if they wanted to hear his older songs, and they cheered loudly; then he asked who wanted to hear the new stuff, and they cheered again, but with much less enthusiasm. Blunt obviously expected this response, making for a genuinely funny moment.
But some of the highlights from the show was when he performed his new songs because he attached little anecdotes to some of them.
He wrote a beautiful and heartfelt tribute called Dark Thought to his late friend Carrie Fisher, who famously played Princess Leia in Star Wars. The song is included on his latest album.
Blunt’s charismatic banter and self-deprecating humour often added to the music, especially the new stuff, making the audience feel more engaged.
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
While some acts might reel off all their new songs at the start of a show, Blunt sprinkled them throughout the setlist. That means the audience sang along to all their favourite songs at different points throughout the night, like Bonfire Heart, Carry You Home, OK and Wisemen.
Blunt also has a diverse fan base in terms of age brackets, and many young and old couples sang his lyrics to each other.
After disappearing from the stage toward the end of the show, the crowd barely started chanting “encore” before the band returned for three more songs and ended on a phenomenal rendition of 1973 (some might say it’s his best song).
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
James Blunt performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
James Blunt’s band performs at the Grand Arena, Grand West in Cape Town on 12 September 2024. (Joel Ontong/News24)
You’re Beautiful and High were expected highlights, and the singer’s vocal range is well preserved even after two decades. During the latter song, he told the crowd to do the Mexican wave during the chorus, which created a cool effect.
Blunt and his band played for just under two hours, but the time really flew by. The set list is well structured and has a great flow. It never felt like there was a dip in energy, even when he played his many “miserable songs”, as Blunt calls them.
The sound quality was surprisingly clear, too; the Grand Arena’s acoustics can be cavernous and swallow up much of the music, but not during Blunt’s performance.
Blunt was also soaking in the Cape Town air a bit ahead of his concert and posted a picture of himself on Table Mountain. His next stop is the SunBet Arena in Pretoria on Saturday.