Paolo Nutini

It’s not often that you feel like you’re seeing something special on a stage, but that was undeniably the case when we were all watching Paolo Nutini perform at...
Paolo Nutini : Live
Paolo Nutini : Live

It’s not often that you feel like you’re seeing something special on a stage, but that was undeniably the case when we were all watching Paolo Nutini perform at Brooklyn Steel (QRO venue review) on Wednesday, March 8th. It had been nearly a decade since the Scottish singer had been touring, let alone in New York (QRO photos in NYC in ’14). Luckily for music lovers around the world, his new album, Last Night In The Bittersweet, is a swelling opus of creativity that further cements what a creative force Paolo Nutini is. Backed by a fresh new band, Nutini and his brothers graciously entered the stage with infectious smiles and swiftly jumped into “Afterneath”, one of the standout songs from Bittersweet.

Truthfully, it cannot be overstated how transcendent of an evening it was and how everyone who was there was overly present. The majority of the setlist featured songs from Bittersweet such as “Lose It”, “Acid Eyes” and “Shine a Light”. “Through the Echoes” got the strongest response, as did long-time fan favourite “Iron Sky”. One of the many praiseworthy things about Paolo Nutini is how versatile he is as an artist, and this was on full-display during “Let Me Down Easy”, which has been re-worked into a hazy dance track of sorts; a version which took us all by surprise.

My personal highlight was getting to see the full band rendition of “Cherry Blossom”, which totally sounded as though it was being played within a stadium of 20,000 people as opposed to the 2,000+ rock club reality we were all living in. A constant of the night, was Nutini being overcome with surprise and joy at the sight of a full room. This was beautifully apparent while he performed an acoustic rendition of his hit, “Coming Up Easy”, which during the halfway point he said “I love you” to the audience for what felt like the 100th time that evening. Having that level of candor and earnestness evoked throughout the evening added to that transcendent-feeling of the evening; hopefully it won’t be another long time until we see Paolo Nutini grace the stage. Last Night In The Bittersweet by Paolo Nutini is out now via Atlantic Records.

-photo: Sarah Rodriguez

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