The vibe was high last Friday night in Seattle as Vance Joy brought his In Our Own Sweet Time tour to the historic Paramount Theatre for a two-night, sold-out run. It was a typical rainy, late winter night in Seattle on March 3rd, 2023 and fans keyed up outside the theatre amongst an unexpected crowd of Comic-con goers as they poured through the doors inside.
Founded in 1928, The Paramount Theatre in Seattle was at the height of opulence in the roaring twenties showing silent movies and Vaudeville shows. The landmark in the heart of downtown has also hosted iconic bands such as Nirvana, Madonna, and The Grateful Dead throughout its history and still remains one of the city’s premiere venues. Lavishly decorated walls, ceilings with gold accents, and beautiful crystal chandeliers cover every inch from the lobby to the huge arching auditorium where there is an overlooking balcony to accommodate a large number of visitors on show night.
Australian native, Jack Botts, was joined on stage by guitarist Ben Camden to warm up the crowd for their 9-song set. Opening with “Let Go” Botts and Camden played a stripped-down set of surf folk songs like “Polaroid” and “Slow Mornings”. Jack connected with the audience with his gratitude for their early arrival and told stories of their busking days back on the Australian coastline before playing “Home to You.” The duo closed out their set with a crowd favorite, “Gypsy” and fans then had the opportunity to meet the guys out in the lobby after they left the stage for some big hugs, happy smiles and handshakes.
The anticipation was palpable as Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy took the stage joined by a full ensemble of supporting musicians opening with his hits “Missing Piece” and “Mess Is Mine.” Joy’s set included songs from his 2022 album, In Our Own Sweet Time like “Clarity” as well as most of his classic fan favorites like “Saturday Sun” and Fire and the Flood.” Vance Joy has a unique vocal range along with a great smile and had the crowd singing along, dancing, or waving their arms throughout the packed auditorium.
Joy shared a story of early days in his career playing open mics with songs like “Wasted Time” and wowed fans with a funny tale of how a manager once told him that he needed to play more covers as he wasn’t being paid to play his originals. Vance also told of how he originally wrote “We’re Going Home” for a movie soundtrack about sailors but that the studio ultimately told him it didn’t hit the mark so he ended up keeping the song for his own but that he’s still available for movie soundtracks.
Although joined by his full band for most of the set, Vance Joy also got personal with a couple of solo songs for “Way That I’m Going” and “You” before bringing back guitarist Sam Woodbury and Will Morrissey on sax for “Looking at Me Like That.” The crowd favorite of the evening was, of course, Joy’s massive single “Riptide” and the band went quiet while fans carried the tune’s lyrics all on their own. Joy certainly embodies his name with a set of songs that felt like a celebration and fans left following “Lay it on Me” with a sense of uplifting gratitude for a worthwhile event on a chilly Seattle night. Vance Joy’s tour continues on to destinations in California and the east coast before heading onto Europe in April.
Catch him while you can!
