It took an electric rendition of early single “This Is The New Year” to ignite the crowd.
But once the fuse was lit, A Great Big World’s Wednesday night Gramercy Theatre show turned into an enjoyable celebration of the duo’s recognizable songs and a valuable showcase of the tracks featured on new album “When The Morning Comes.”
Positioned as an album release concert, the show functioned more notably as an introduction to the new material than a celebration of it. Light on the most rabid breed of die-hard fans, the crowd largely consisted of a more casually familiar audience. They knew the hit singles. They recognized earlier signature songs like “Everyone is Gay.” They admired the duo’s talent and perspective.
They did not, however, know every song — and certainly not the entire “When The Morning Comes” track list.
A Great Big World members Ian Axel and Chad King are too talented and too endearing to have a bad show, but the initial audience passion was not great enough to ensure a special one.
To achieve that end, the duo needed to energize and meaningfully engage the crowd.
Performed somewhat tentatively, opening numbers — and new album tracks — “All I Want Is Love” and “Kaleidoscope” were insufficient in that regard.
That changed when Axel and King performed their debut single “This Is The New Year.” The number, which turned a reasonably attentive crowd into an energized, warmly receptive one, proved that A Great Big World was not there to sing. It was there to engage. It was there to celebrate.
From that point forward, the show consistently clicked. The hesitation and restraint that plagued the first two numbers vanished as the duo injected rockstar energy into the livelier numbers and sincere emotion into the ballads. The crowd warmly embraced both facets.
Not aggressive enough to create a transformative concert, Axel, King, their committed backing band, and their music were exciting enough to offer a fun Wednesday night diversion.
The crowd energy and engagement clearly peaked for the older and/or more recognizable numbers — breakthrough hit “Say Something,” singles “New Year,” “Already Home” and “Hold Each Other,” and quirky signatures “Everyone’s Gay,” “Rockstar,” and “Shorty Don’t Wait” — but the night’s valleys were not particularly low.
The quality of the new material aided greatly in that regard. Unable to match the gravitas, personality, and quirkiness of the best “Is There Anybody Out There?” material, the songs on “When The Morning Comes” are generally more consistent in their quality, more cohesive in their flow, and more taut in their production and composition.
New track “Come On” proved infectious enough to amplify the night’s joy. Afforded an endearing introduction by Axel, the heartfelt “One Step Ahead” connected with an audience that had quickly come to care about this pair of musicians.
And while the crowd enthusiasm seemed to ease (and bathroom and bar trips seemed to commence) as Axel and King began playing the thoroughly unfamiliar “Oasis,” the song proved compelling enough to win back interest. By the end, the crowd knew what those who had listened to “When The Morning Comes” had already learned: “Oasis” is a subtle standout.
“End Of The World” and “Where Does The Time Go” also found support from an audience that was quickly recognizing and appreciating A Great Big World for more than its hits. While many likely attended with the idea of tolerating the new music in order to hear “Say Something,” “Already Home” and ” Everyone’s Gay,” most ended up warmly embracing the moments between those peaks. The staples got them hooked, but the solid new music kept them engaged.
When A Great Big World took the Gramercy Theater stage, finding a legitimate die-hard may have been unexpectedly difficult.
When the talented, affable, energetic, unpretentious duo walked off, finding an unimpressed attendee was nearly impossible.
LiveNation and Yahoo! partnered to offer a live stream of the concert. The replay does not appear to be working at press time, but Headline Planet will update with a corrected link.
Fans can next catch A Great Big World on the November 25 edition of “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”
