The Brit is testing out his new songs before his European tour next year. We were there.
A cluster of umbrellas forms in front of the Berlin Metropol. Sometimes pitch-black, sometimes yellow-dotted, they cavort in front of the concert location on Nollendorfplatz and anonymize the faces underneath, whose smiles reflect the anticipation of James Blunt, who will be performing here. The bright red light not only illuminates the imposing building with the stone pillars, it is also reflected in the small puddles between uneven paving stones and is finally blurred by the thick raindrops. After a mulled wine to-go, which the Späti next door proudly advertises, and a few ten minutes of queuing, the queue has dispersed. Inside, the dripping down jackets were discarded and the messed-up hair was straightened – all for the British singer-songwriter, who is due to take the stage shortly afterwards.
Rain turns into sweat!
A deep blockbuster voice from the off announces the action. All spotlights point to the small stage, where the representative light number from the television station ProSieben, which is organizing the exclusive concert, is located. On the sides there are large cherry-red banners with the slogan “We love to entertain you” – a promise that should be kept. The moderator Thore Schölermann jumps into the center of attention and greets the audience and wants to heat up the mood with La Ola waves. The audience should dance and celebrate until “the rain turns into sweat” – let’s see. He then invites Blunt on stage. A blonde, young woman in the audience jumps up and down for joy and clings to her companion.
The singer doesn’t wait long – very British correctness – and opens the performance with “Beside You”, a single from his current album WHO WE USED TO BE, which was released on October 27th. After James Blunt strums the strings of his guitar, which he changes after almost every song, one last time, shrill whistles and cries of admiration echo through the high vault until they reach the highest gallery of the stucco-decorated location.
Experimental guinea pigs
The artist grins broadly, so that his laugh lines stretch, and addresses the crowd – in German. Although his language skills are “limited”, he still wants to say “thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you again,” said Blunt in broken German. He goes on to explain that the audience that evening was like “experimental guinea pigs or hamsters” because he wanted to test his set on them. He ends up playing many of his new songs for the first time and – if the reaction is bad – perhaps for the last time. Which of the pieces ultimately made it onto the tracklist of his European tour will be heard in spring 2024, when Blunt also performs in twelve cities in Germany – including the Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Mannheim. When the 49-year-old asked his audience who would be there next year, a few hands went up. “Five people are coming,” the musician analyzes with a laugh and continues: “Perfect, after all there are five of us,” referring to his multi-member band in the background.
“One Brit Wonder”
Self-irony runs fundamentally through Blunt’s fan communication. So he not only promotes his new record on Instagram with a cheesy announcement text, but also cheers on the race against pop star Taylor Swift: “If you haven’t bought my album yet, please do so – after all, every copy counts in my race against Taylor Swift the charts…” – an ambitious plan that ultimately didn’t come true.
Even on stage, the singer doesn’t take himself too seriously. With a wink, he plays with his reputation as “One Brit Wonder” – which is also the name of the musician’s documentary, which will be shown in all UK cinemas on December 6th. After the first tracks he played were all new songs, he calms the crowd: They shouldn’t be afraid, he will also play enough of his classics – but only on the condition that the audience always smiles and nods at the lesser-known works. The audience reacted a little more strongly to new songs like “The Girl That Never Was”. The crowd sway to the beat and occasionally complement this move by gently tossing their heads back and forth.
Exuberant emotions
A murmur goes through the crowd as the soft guitar picking of Blunt’s biggest hit “You’re Beautiful” sounds. The musician immediately caught the attention of the audience, who could hardly wait for the first line of the track “My life is brilliant”. The disco ball on the ceiling casts thousands of small spots of light onto the walls, which are reflected in the pendants of the eleven chandeliers next to it. A girl looks at her boyfriend in love. Next to them, two older women rock back and forth contentedly, while a young man tries to stop his tears by pressing his index finger and thumb into the corners of his eyes – his partner puts his arm around his shoulder to comfort him. All together they sing the chorus of the 2004 hit: “You’re beautiful, it’s true / I saw your face, in a crowded place / And I don’t know what to do / ‘Cause I’ll never be with you.”
After playing classics like “Bonfire Heart” and “Wisemen” and directing the crowd’s singing and humming, Blunt changes the mood. There were “too many happy songs,” which is why he now sits down at the piano and starts “Dark Thought” – a ballad that the musician wrote for his late friend and “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher. The singer tells his stories with his high – almost whining – voice.
Rocking and swaying
In order not to leave the evening completely lost in thought and emotional, James Blunt delivers one of his tracks for “dancing” with the song “OK”, which was created in collaboration with Robin Schulz. Dancing – in the crowd of around 35 to 60 years old, that means an obligatory rocking, which is complemented by the bending of the knees and the tactical clapping as soon as the tempo of the song quickens. Then everyone should crouch down until the beat drops and the audience jumps up once. One time it stays that way until they sink back into their chronic dithering.
Blunt’s final song “1973” also invites you to move and rocks up until the singer puts his right leg on the piano lid and cheers for the audience.
As soon as the musician leaves the stage, the instruments are dismantled. Despite calls for an encore, there is no further performance. The good mood still remains and you can hear a fan in the cloakroom say a quiet “Goodbye my lover / Goodbye my friend”.