Mobile
Friday, April 6, 2012
Photos / Live Reviews Live review: Van Hunt, Double Door Inn, 4/5/2012
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Apr 6, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Van Hunt
Double Door Inn
April 5, 2012
Van Hunt was an hour and 10 minutes into his concert at the Double Door Inn on April 5, 2012, when he stopped the show, his band walked off stage and the 42-year-old singer/songwriter addressed the audience.
"I really hate to say this, but some people here have been rude and talking through my entire set," he told the mostly seated crowd. "It's rude and it's disrespectful. It's distracting me and I'm forgetting words and chords. People paid money to come to see me and you're not helping. I'm going to play a few songs now, for the people who came to see me. I want to make it up to them, if that's ok."
Hunt took the next 20 minutes to shine like he hadn't had a chance to do yet on this rainy Charlotte night. His three-song solo set started with a tamed-down version of the soul-infused "Dust," off of his 2004 debut, Van Hunt. Hunt, a relatively static performer who remained stationary for much of the night, also kept his electric guitar riffs at bay while he focused on his vocals and tried to connect with each member of the audience.
Halfway through "Seconds of Pleasure," he asked the crowd to sing with him. The slow neo-soul style bringing a sexier vibe into the room as he hit every high note and let his vocals float through the room. He capped off his solo set with "Down Here in Hell," as it slowly built up in emotion and capped off the evening with style.
His band rejoined him for a final song, "Hot Stage Lights." As his guitarist, bassist and drummer gave it their all, Hunt let his earlier frustrations come out in his vocals, offering one of the best collective band songs of the night.
It's a shame the rest of the performance didn't have the same energy as the last four songs. Blame it on the crowd. Early in the night, Hunt appeared as if he was trying to find his rhythm, his psychitzophrenic style wandered between the '70s funk of George Clinton, the '80s soul of Prince and the '90s rock of Lenny Kravitz. Twists and turns are the norm during Hunt's performances, but he regularly repeated choruses and riffs as if trying to find his way into the soul of each song.
During his solo set, Hunt was deep in the pocket, soaked into the groove of each song instead of trying to force it on songs like "Anything to Get Your Attention," "North Hollywood" and "The Lowest 1 Of My Desires." "Eyes Like Pearls," from his critically acclaimed 2011 album What Were You Hoping For?, lacked the luster of the studio version, but was one of the brief highlights of the early set.
Drummer Ruthie Price offered solid backing vocals at opportune moments and the band was tight on all counts, giving the right drum fills and guitar flourishes when needed throughout the night. Hunt won over any non-believers in those final songs, finding a good time to right the ship.
Speaking of...
Comments
Showing 1-1 of 1
Latest in Vibes
-
Chvrches ups the energy
Oct 17, 2018 -
Florence & The Machine offer a vocal showcase in Charlotte area
Oct 4, 2018 -
Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends entertain with wit, classic arts
Oct 2, 2018 - More »
More by Jeff Hahne
-
Chvrches ups the energy
Oct 17, 2018 -
Florence & The Machine offer a vocal showcase in Charlotte area
Oct 4, 2018 -
Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends entertain with wit, classic arts
Oct 2, 2018 - More »
-
Dammit Janet? 1
Fliers on car windows make me wonder what's going on...?
-
Happy Anniversary Dixie's Tavern!
QC After Dark heads out to Dixie's Tavern's 10th Anniversary.
-
Things we overheard at the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Charlotte concert 1
Funk-rockers perform for packed Spectrum Center.
