Sarah Blasko Enchants at the Merriam

Phillyist loves a good singer/songwriter, so last night we made our way to the elegant, historic Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad Street) to check out Sarah Blasko, who is currently touring to promote her debut album, The Overature and the Underscore.

Blasko was the opening act, so when she was introduced by none other than the headliner himself, Ray Lamontagne, we knew we were in for something special. Lamontagne seemed almost shy as he praised her music as "beautiful" and "amazing." And you know something? He was right.

Blasko's live performance is a like a rainy Sunday: wistful, strangely comforting, and so pervasive that it curls around you and settles into your bones; a true force of nature. Down a drummer (and possibly another band member) for the performance, Blasko's vocals were backed only by herself or a bandmember identified only as "Rob" on acoustic guitar, synthesizer or - at one point, the melodica. (Don't feel bad, we had to look it up too). Fortunately, Blasko's voice - throaty, strong and perfectly suited to her moody lyrics - was more-than-up to the task of carrying the whole show. Despite her insistence that she felt tiny on the giant stage, Blasko's enormous voice and lack of pretension made us feel we were watching her in a intimate club venue, rather than a formal theater. Phillyist is quite sure that if none of her band mates had made it and she had performed her show as an acapella solo, we still would have found ourselves a Blasko fan by the end of the evening.

Aside from the odd new tune or two, Blasko filled her hour-long set with songs from The Overature and the Underscore, most notably Always Worth It (which will be featured in an August episode of Six Feet Under), At Your Best (which gave our sassy, concert-going compatriot chills) and Remorse, (our favorite song of the evening). Phillyist has been to a great many live shows in our day...so believe us when we tell you that it is no small thing for us to say that this the first time we have ever wished the opening act would do an encore.

Although Phillyist went spefically to see Sarah Blasko, we feel we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention Ray Lamontagne's performance. Lamontagne's music is a folksy combination of blues, country, and full-out rock-n-roll; and he and his band travelled effortlessly through all those genres. If you're not familiar with Lamontagne's look and vocal style, Phillyist invites you to imagine a Loggins-&-Messina-era Kenny Loggins, only passionate, powerful, soulful and smokin' hot. (It is not Phillyist's intention to marginalize Mr. Lamontagne's musical skills - which are outstanding - with that last adjective, but facts are facts. Rowr!) But don't take our word for it, just ask any of his ardent, very vocal fans who all seemed to have descened on our fair city last evening. Phillyist has been to heavy-metal stadium tours where there were fewer song-requests, "I Love Yous'" and demands for an artist to take off their shirt from an audience.

Photo Credit: sarahblasko.com