James Vincent McMorrow, House of Blues, Chicago, Illinois

In six months’ time, Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow had upgraded from Lincoln Hall to the House of Blues, a significantly larger venue. We arrived early, hoping to be reasonably close to the stage, even though we expected we wouldn’t be able to repeat the propinquity of last time. Our goal was to be close without being squished. One of the drawbacks to the House of Blues is that the back areas of the theater are somewhat disconnected from the stage, making it hard to see and hear. However, since the show was nowhere near sold out, it was easy for everyone in attendance to get close enough to see and hear well.

The opening act was a somewhat depressing hip hop duo – a DJ and an MC. At first, I found them a bit of a strange pairing for James Vincent McMorrow, but as their set went on, I came to find them quite analogous. They are to hip hop what James Vincent McMorrow is to folk. Both have their roots in their respective genres but have taken their sound in a new direction. James Vincent McMorrow himself joined the openers on stage for their last song, his song “Cavalier” with hip hop beats and rap overlaid with McMorrow’s normal vocals.

James Vincent McMorrow used the same set up as his last show, a circular disk backdrop ornamented with pyramids plus additional illuminated pyramids spread across the stage. More importantly, his voice was just as ethereal and beautiful as before. Three other musicians joined him on stage, including guitar/keys, keys/synthesizer, and drums with James Vincent McMorrow on guitar/keys.

The setlist utilized the previous show’s list as a base but threw in a few additional songs including “Higher Love,” a Steve Winwood cover. He also included “When I Leave,” a brand new songs that will likely appear on his next album, currently under development. I really liked the song, but thought it was ripe for some loops. I’m not sure if that’s something that interests him though. He also did an unplugged version of “And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop” at the beginning of the encore, unplugging his guitar and stepping away from the microphone. The audience did a better job than average job of keeping quiet throughout the performance. However, I still heard a few whispers. Why are there always a few people that are just incapable of staying quiet for a few minutes?

Setlist:
The Lakes
Hear the Noise That Moves So Soft and Low
Glacier
Red Dust
Down the Burning Ropes
You Know
Higher Love [Steve Winwood cover]
Follow You Down to the Red Oak Tree
Breaking Hearts
This Old Dark Machine
Post Tropical
Look Out
From the Woods!!
All Points
We Don't Eat
Gold
Cavalier
Encore:
And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop [unplugged]
When I Leave
If I Had a Boat