Fox Reviews Rock

Travel

With the gig being in a city just over an hour away, we left with plenty of time. Thank God we did because the state of roadworks in Birmingham at the moment is enough to drive anyone mad!

We finally pulled up to a completely different car park than intended. This happened a full hour later than planned. As a result, we were severely limited in leisure time before the gig.

Venue

The 02 Institute isn’t a venue I was lucky enough to go to before. With a 2,400-person capacity, it has charm. More importantly, you feel connected to the artists regardless of where you are in the auditorium.

We didn’t have long to wait outside. The bag searches were quick. Ticket scanning was the smoothest of any event I have ever been to. We had unreserved balcony seating and unfortunately didn’t arrive early enough to get a seat. We did, however, get a straight-on view with something to lean on, so we were happy enough!

Merchandise

To my surprise, the merch stand was remarkably small. It consisted of only 2 t-shirts to pick from and a jumper. As a gentleman of a slightly rounder persuasion, I found the largest size of 2XL unfortunately wasn’t big enough. So, I passed on the chance to buy anything.

What shocked me the most was that there were zero albums, CDs, and vinyl on sale. Especially as this tour was marking Gavin DeGraw’s debut album hitting 20 years and there being a special re-release.

Warm Up Act

When we last saw Gavin DeGraw in Belfast he didn’t have any support at all. We wholeheartedly welcome the change this time. On this occasion we were treated to the songs by the talented Natalie Shay.

As a warm-up act, you couldn’t ask for more. Fresh off a flight from America, she told the crowd she hadn’t slept for what seemed like ages. You really couldn’t tell.

From the moment she skipped onto the stage, it was upbeat, infectious energy all around. I’ve personally never known anyone to have so many songs about exes or ex-best friends. Yet, she still manages to make the mood so positive. Rather annoyingly, our favorite song “Vape & Alcohol” isn’t yet on Spotify.

From the first hair swish, we were listening intently to every word. The twin acoustic guitars during her set piqued our interest. We were so intrigued that we reached out to her after the show. There might be an interview in the future, so keep your eye out for that.

Gavin DeGraw

If you’re not familiar with Gavin DeGraw’s work, then where have you been? He is a multi-platinum singer-songwriter. If we were to classify his music, it would be somewhere between blues rock and pop-rock. That’s just perfect for us!

We enjoyed nearly 2 hours of his greatest hits. He showcased his tremendous vocal range. He also displayed his skills on the keyboard and acoustic guitar. Accompanying him onstage was a full band: a keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, and drummer. This gave even his more pop-like hits a rock edge that we loved.

I did manage to pop to the toilet just as he was coming on (awful timing)! Luckily, I didn’t miss a second of the music. His set included nearly 24 songs, spread fairly evenly across his 7 studio albums. This gave us and the rest of the captivated crowd a real treat.

The crowd was absolutely fantastic all night. They sang and interacted the entire way through. This clearly pleased Gavin and his band, with them repeatedly thanking the audience for their participation. The standing ovation at the end spoke volumes. We thought the whole night was much better than our previous experience.

We went to see him partly because his song “More Than Anyone” was me and my wife’s first dance song. This created a lovely moment that I will personally never forget. If you are reading this DF I love you so much.

A few Welsh women managed to get into a wristband only seating area. They did this by sweet talking the photographer. They had previously been refused entry by the security guard. They talked about it pretty much all night. Eventually, their dream came true when the photographer returned with enough wristbands for them all. None for us though which was a shame! I must not be his type.

What I noticed most was that I wasn’t remotely getting tired at this gig. He could have played every single one of his songs, and I would have stayed. Towards the end of the night, he surprised the crowd with a rendition of “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath. Since it was a Birmingham-based crowd, it made the whole room go crazy!

As the night began to end, there were a few murmurs in the crowd. They talked about him not playing his biggest hit “I Don’t Want to Be.” This amused him. He quipped, “People have hopefully come to see more than just one song.” The entire room filled with laughter. After playing “Soldier,” he dedicated it to everyone in the room. He also dedicated it to those who had come with him. He finally gave the impatient crowd what they were looking forward to.

There is something truly magical about having the whole room singing along. This was the first song I ever heard by Gavin DeGraw. It also happens to be the theme tune to my favorite TV show, which helps too!

The night was finally over. The band bowed to the loving crowd. We took the walk back to the car with a hop in our step. What an evening it had been. We will 100% be seeing him again, I imagine, many more times. That is a belief I will always hold.

Let us know what you think to Gavin DeGraw , Natalie Shay and the review below in the comments!

All rights to songs in this post belong to the recording artist. This site claims no rights over them. All photos in this review were taken by Fox Reviews Rock.