Concert Review: The Art of Loving Live in Houston, Texas
- Jazz Williams
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
I went to see Olivia Dean on August 25th at Toyota Center. I remember listening to her album once when it came out, but I’m not someone who listens to neo-soul. Tickets were sold out anyway at that time so it didn't cross my mind again until last week. Turned out to be one of the best last minute decisions of my life! Baby Rose came out right before 8 pm and finished a touch after 8:30 pm. Her family is from Texas so this was like a homecoming show for her. Playing a dozen songs, she commanded the stage like an absolute pro without missing a beat. I was very impressed by her deep, evocative vocals (which, if I’m not mistaken, is what gives soul its flare). Her overall performance received a lot of love from the crowd and was the perfect lead-in to the British popstar.
Kicking off the event promptly at 9 o’clock, the curtain opens to reveal the Olivia Dean standing in the middle of the stage, commanding everyone’s attention, interacting with the crowd, and smiling after every breath. The crowd is hyped and singing along to every word of “Nice to Each Other”, “Lady Lady”, and “So Easy (To Fall In Love)”. Taking time out to acknowledge the two things she loves about Houston, she mentions NASA and, of course, Beyonce. She proceeded to play several songs on the acoustic guitar including “UFO”, “Touching Toes”, and “Something Inbetween” which turned an already intimate show into an even more intimate setting. Before she performed “Carmen”, she spoke about her grandmother moving to London from Guyana when she was only 18 and having four kids by the age of 27. Shortly after, she came through the crowd and walked to the B stage for “Loud” and “A Couple Minutes”. Afterwards, she ran through the crowd again, up the stairs, and sang with fans during “The Hardest Part”. Exuding sheer happiness, she pranced around on stage during “Ladies Room” and “Move On Up”, a Curtis Mayfield cover. Finishing off the night with the magical “Man I Need”, disco balls and an insane confetti drop that seemed to coat the entire arena made that moment even more magical.
Tonight, she proved herself to be a genuine hitmaker with an energetic personality and a lasting force as a performer. For an artist with only two albums under her belt, I was shocked she played an almost two hour set with 24 songs total, but she didn't do it alone. On stage with her, she had a huge band featuring a bassist, guitarist, trumpeter, trombonist, saxophonist, drummer, and two backing vocalists. While they each got their own shoutout later in the show, they shined equally throughout the show. An extremely talented band partnered with an extremely talented main act. Olivia Dean was fantastic! One of the most enthusiastic performers I’ve ever witnessed. You could feel how elated she was to be there with us as she sang through her smile and emphatically danced. Frequent motivational speeches gave her performance a unique level of authenticity. During one of her speeches, she paid tribute to Dolly Parton. Even before she came on stage, Dolly’s “9 to 5” was blasting on the speakers while everyone was dancing and screaming. Olivia's not just extremely talented. She seems like a beautiful person inside and out and I can see why so many people have taken to her. I'm proud to call myself a fan of hers. As the tour comes to an end in October, she closes the chapter on a legendary album. While chapters may close, art lives on because the stories behind it are timeless. Goodnight folks.
Written By Jazz
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