Review: Vance Joy and Elle King Enchant Paramount Theatre

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Wednesday night’s show was another double feature, as we like to call shows that have two artists we would see separately, playing together in one show. You buy the ticket for the main act, and the support added is another great artist you would like to see. The first of the two was Elle King, who took to the Paramount Theatre stage shortly after 8:30 and we knew it was going to be a fun set as soon as she walked out holding a red solo cup. The coolest thing, really, was that her mike stand had a cup holder for it; extra points for that.

She seemed very confident and completely owning the stage comfortably making her set really great.  Her on stage banter was hilarious and it took about 5 minutes to win any one in the audience over.  Before starting “Good to be a Man,” she stated that she wrote the song after being dumped. “I’ve only been dumped once, and that will never happen again, because I’m amazing,” she joked.

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After a very short 30 minutes with her she played her more known hits, namely “Ex’s & Oh’s” and the new rising hit “America’s Sweetheart.” I really liked her powerful voice and songwriting, but after seeing her live for the first time I can say it won’t be the last. She was captivating from the first moment she took the stage, and she had a way of bringing everyone around her closer.

I knew Vance Joy was becoming a new favorite heartthrob around the world, but I hadn’t seen it for myself. After the Aussie blew up with “Riptide,” and subsequently getting to be the opener of Taylor Swift’s massive tour, this shouldn’t surprise many. Still, being in the pit especially, I noticed so many young girls screaming his name in the front row along with holding signs up for him to see. Most were calling him by his real name, James, thinking that might grab his attention more.

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He came on stage bearing a smile he wore the whole time he was there, maintaining his down-to-earth demeanor the entire set. He started the night with “Mess is Mine,” which was the second single released off his debut album Dream Your Life Away. Then moved on to “Red Eye,” which he wrote on his journey travelling from one side of Australia to the other to meet a loved one. He paused to say thank you to the crowd, and to let us know how lucky and grateful he felt to be doing this.

“The next song was written before I even thought that this could ever happen, that I could record an album back in 2010,” he told the crowd before going straight into “Winds of Change.” His set included “Georgia,” “From A Far,” “Wasted Time,” “All That I Can,” eventually picking up with “Riptide” (of course), as well as a cover of “You Can Call Me Al” before his main set was over. His encore included “My Kind of Man,” which was inspired from a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, and “Fire and the Flood,” which is part of his Deluxe Edition album release.

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Sophia Barkalakis

Music is probably the most important part of her life. Sophia is constantly searching for new material, old and new. Always looking forward to the next live show she can attend, ready to immerse herself in the sound. "There is something so magical about attending a live show that you cannot possibly feel from a recording itself that makes it worth going to", she says. She also says she's lucky to be able to combine her passion for music with her obsession of capturing moments. She finds that being able to look at a photograph and be transported to that second of your life is indescribable and she's so grateful for all those great moments.

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