Anticipation had been building in Anthony Hamilton’s St. Louis fan base since it was announced he would be performing at the Pageant Sunday night to promote his upcoming CD “The Point of it All”. A sell-out crowd was a given considering that he brought an enormous crowd for his date of the Live of the Levee Concert series a few months back.
It was no surprise that for the 8 p.m. show, a line had formed and wrapped around the Pageant by 6 p.m. Guests were eager to get up close and personal with Hamilton, who hadn’t been on an indoor concert stage in St. Louis since 2005.
But by 9:10 p.m., excitement had given way to confusion and anxiety. There was no opening act to speak of on stage and guests were restless for the show to begin. But just as the audience crossed over into irritated territory, Hamilton, his energy and an electric burgundy bomber jacket came out of nowhere n and after the first five seconds of his trademark southern charm and down-home soul, all was forgiven.
He kicked the show off with a new tune, which seemed to get an indifferent response from the crowd as he performed.
When he kicked into his familiar material, the crowd n which had shown love out of being happy to see him finally take the stage – exploded.
Comin’ From Where I’m From (the title track from his debut CD), Mama Knew Love and other upbeat songs maintained an energy that seemed to transfer to everyone like static cling.
Out of tribute to Barack Obama’s historic victory to become the first black president of the United States, Hamilton performed an triumphant rendition of the Sam Cooke classic A Change Gonna Come. “Oh yes it did,” Hamilton said as he closed the song and brought the audience to its feet.
The funky band accompanying with new school tracks to the throwback, raspy soul that is Hamilton’s trademark sound was a winning combination.
While the reserved chairs of the Pageant were crammed to make room for as many guests as the fire code would allow, the already intimate venue was not conducive for dancing in yet another sell-out for Hamilton in St. Louis.
But for everyone who was forced to bop conservatively in their personal space to be mindful of their neighbor, Hamilton offered two moves (and them some) on their behalf as he worked up a sweat by the second song.
While he’s no Chris Brown, or Usher with respect to his moves, if he were to stand next to either of them folks couldn’t help but allow their eyes to wander to his side of the stage and applaud how comfortable Hamilton is in his skin and moves n and willingness to dance to his own drum.
The vibe and connection Hamilton creates between himself and his audience is almost as entertaining as hearing him perform. At least two mandatory episodes of him jumping off-stage and into the crowd, talking and dancing with his fans seems to be a requirement for every set.
An episode of him loving up on a “seasoned” fan (silver hair and all) and seeing the older woman’s genuine appreciation for Hamilton and his reciprocation was one of the highlights of the show.
The show closed with “Cool”, the lead single of his CD, which will be released on December 16.
If nothing else, Hamilton is reliable for giving good music and a good time n even if it’s not on time.