Tom Odell is awesome! He gives great hugs too! Yes, I hugged Tom Odell. My concert going experience last night was so surreal that almost 24 hours later I can’t believe what happened. Guess what? I am going to tell you.
For those of you that don’t know who Tom Odell is, you should. He is an extremely talented British songwriter, singer and incredible piano player. In Europe, he sells out stadiums. Not as well known in North America, he tends to play smaller venues. European fans are jealous that his North American fans get to see Tom in more intimate settings. Last night he played a really small venue in Toronto, The Rivoli. Two years ago, when I saw him play, he had his whole band with him. He rocked.
When I heard that last night’s show would only be him and his piano, I was a little apprehensive. I knew that he was going to be good but could he carry a whole show by himself? Silly me, of course he could. This was the best concert experience that I ever had in my life and I have gone to so many concerts!
I managed to secure a coveted spot near the front of the stage. Though this venue is very small, and any spot would afford an excellent vantage point, I wanted to be close enough to be fully immersed in the musical majesty. I was psyched.
The crowd was psyched too. In anxious anticipation, members of the crowd would shout, “We want Tom!” When Tom came out there was a split second of disbelieving silence, followed by gasps then thunderous cheering. Tom had a big grin on his face. He is a thin fellow and, I find, has an endearing awkwardness about him. However, these utterly charming attributes belie a musical powerhouse.
He sat on his piano bench. Instead of playing, he began to thank us all for coming out to see him. I replied, “No problem”. That got unanimous laughs from the crowd. He told us that his new album was more personal for him. He wanted to make our experience more personal too. He invited some people to experience the concert onstage with him. I was lucky enough to be one of them. I had a better view of him where I was standing in front of the stage, but I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity of experiencing Tom Odell so personally.
I climbed up on the stage in front of the audience of diverse ages, from 19-year-old to 60-year-old. I, and the others, stood in the spots that we claimed. I asked Tom, as I casually put my hand on his upper back, what he wanted us to do. He told me and the others to have a seat and enjoy the show. I sat behind him to his left. Ahh, I touched Tom Odell! I could have gone home right then and there.
Then he began to play. All thoughts of leaving vanished. Sitting 3 feet away from this talented individual, I mesmerizingly watched as he effortlessly played the piano and sang his heart out at the same time. His black grand piano shone brightly. I could see the reflection of his face on the piano’s fallboard. His face glistened with sweat that rolled down to his chin. He had taken off his left shoe before starting to play to reveal his socked foot. The sock had a hole by one small toe. I thought this lapse in clothing maintenance was so endearingly down to earth. He used this foot to make a beat on an amplification device on the floor. The vibration shook me where I sat. His songs shook my soul.
Between songs, perhaps to give himself a rest from his extraordinary musical exertions, he told us how each song and each album came about in a self effacing and most human way. Tom got a lot of “Awws” from the audience when telling us how having his heart broken a few times led to his biggest hits. He also took the time throughout the whole set to keep thanking everyone for coming including the people on the stage. He turned to me, at one-point, locked eyes on me and said, “Really, thank you for coming”. This man, who pours his heart and soul into producing incredible music is thanking me? “No, Tom, thank you”, I said. He grinned and turned to play another song.
One and a half hours flew by too quickly. Knowing this spectacular show neared the end felt agonizing. The agony resonated throughout the crowd. One audience member shouted, “Don’t leave!” when Tom announced his last song, Another Love.
As his final note reverberated through the hall, Tom stood up and shook hands with people in front few rows. While he was doing this, I managed to get myself off the floor. As I stood up, he turned towards the people on the stage. I am demonstrative by nature. Without thought I held out my arms to give him a hug. He said, “It was so nice to meet you” as he leaned in to give me a really unabashed hug. Ecstatic as I was being in an embrace with someone that I admired so much, I didn’t notice that the right side of my face was covered in his sweat. He gave a couple more people a hug and disappeared backstage.
I can’t wait for his new album “Jubilee Road” to come out next month. Maybe by then I will have washed my face.
