Jamie Cullum!!!!

Last night, Cameron and I went to the most amazing concert I've ever been to. Now keep in mind, being the musical person I am, I've been to my fair share of concerts and I'm pretty picky. But this concert was incredible! Here are the reasons why:

1) The Venue: It was in Saratoga up in the "mountains" (hills by Utah standards) at a winery called Mountain Winery. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was a pretty small venue which made it feel intimate. The whole setting was very romantic.



2) Our seats were awesome! We bought the cheapest tickets they had but because the place was pretty empty, we got to move forward into some much more expensive seats. It was actually a pretty interesting crowd. We were definitely on the younger end which was strange. I think most people there had never even heard of Jamie--the guy in front of me called him "McKullum." Most attendees were rich wine drinkers out for a night on the town.



3) I SHOOK JAMIE'S HAND AND MADE SOME SERIOUS EYE CONTACT WHILE DOING SO!!! Yes, I know it's nerdy to be excited about this. But he's been a favorite musician of mine for quite a few years and I have dreamed of the day I'd hear him in concert...I never imagined I'd be close enough to shake his hand! The story: For the last few songs, Jamie told the audience to come up to the stage. Cameron and I were some of the first up there so we were right up front. Like---I was 2 feet away from him for the last few songs. It was awesome to hear him sing so up close!

4) Definitely the most important reason the concert was incredible: He is so amazingly talented. I can't get over it. I feel like 99% of the musicians in the popular music industry owe their success to some luck, good looks, a small bit of talent, and sound engineers who make people sound MUCH better on a recording than they actually sound in real life. Jamie's sound is 100% his. He sounds just as amazing live as he does recorded. His voice is always right on pitch. And--he is a super pianist. His technique is awesome--he really is well trained. He just glazes over all those keys like it's nothing! He has a beautiful touch. He writes most of his own songs (the others he writes with his brother). He does lots of covers and hybrids that sound better than the originals. (Ummm..."High and Dry" anyone?) He can improv like crazy and does it all the time at his concerts. It's just very clear he's a super talented guy when you hear him. He's there because he wants to share amazing music with people. He plays a lot longer than most people (over 2 hours) and has no set list. I could go on and on all day (clearly), but basically---he's super talented, and he's successful because of his talent.

5) Jamie gets so into his performance. He's really fun to watch, jumping all over the piano and everything. He even came out in the audience and sang a number out there with no mike (his own jazzy version of "Cry Me a River"). And when he's playing the piano, he's so into it. Normally this really irritates me because the typical punk rock pianist is playing a C triad over and over again (which certainly doesn't warrant much expression), bouncing his entire body, acting like he's playing some Romantic Cadenza. But Jamie's piano parts are so crazy, he really has to be moving all over.



6) Cameron caught the drummer's drum stick!



Anyway. I'll stop rambling. It was a spectacular night! And anyone who doesn't know Jamie Cullum's stuff should look him up. You won't be disappointed.