Tonight we had the luck to see Eli “Paperboy” Reed in concert for the second time. Eli and the True Loves are the opening act for Duffy’s 4-week American tour, which started tonight in San Diego at Humphrey’s By the Bay. First, let me just say the Eli Reed was awesome as expected. His soulful screams and explosive energy had me out of my chair and moving during his super short set. Duffy was good, and I do like her. But I was really there for Eli, what a guy!
Second, let me just recommend that you avoid seeing concerts at Humphrey’s By the Bay on Shelter Island. While Jojo says the acoustics are good, much better than at House of Blues, the crowd is…how can I put this nicely…lame! This is my second concert there, and both times the crowd has been boring, listless, obnoxiously inattentive, and quite drunk. It really felt like we were sitting in the middle of a hen house throughout the entire show, non-stop drunken lady chatter. And when we tried to liven up the show by coming up front to dance (because everyone else was seated), security sent us back to our chairs! I’ll pass on any concert held here in the future.
Back to the music itself, I highly recommend Eli Reed if you are looking for some new soul to light a fire inside you! When he sings, you cannot resist the urge to clap your hands and bob your head to the beat. Duffy is soulful as well; she gave a very mellow and cute performance tonight. Her voice is very unique, it’s got a tang to it that really sticks to you like syrup! You may have heard her music on the radio, the single “Mercy” is pretty popular right now.
At the end of the night (10pm, so early!!!), I walked out of there still singing Eli’s joyful, rockin’ chorus: “You wanna take my love with you, everywhere you go!” I wish he played for longer, and I wish the crowd would not have been raucously chattering during his expressive and explosive performance. Next time Eli!