Emeli Sandé opened Thursday evening at the Iveagh Gardens, bringing a deeply powerful vocal performance to a heavily packed crowd. The unusually warm Dublin summer night provided an ideal outdoor setting right in the city center
Her live vocals easily carried across the trees, sounding just as sharp as her studio recordings. The crowd settled in quickly, enjoying the warm weather and her distinctively soulful style under the evening sun. It was a relaxed but highly engaging start to the night. A massive singalong broke out during “Next to Me” with nearly everyone in the gardens joining in. She regularly switched things up throughout her set by moving over to the piano to accompany her own vocals.
She also pulled out “Read All About It” a track that naturally brought out a huge reaction from the audience. Her time up front proved exactly why she remains such a highly regarded live performer, setting things up perfectly for the headline slot.
After a short break James Morrison walked out just as the sun was finally dropping behind the trees. The crowd gave him a massive reception to kick off his headline set. The lingering Thursday night heat kept the atmosphere incredibly relaxed throughout the entire venue.
His familiar, raspy vocal tone suited the outdoor acoustics of the Iveagh Gardens perfectly. Morrison interacted naturally with the crowd between tracks, keeping things casual and friendly. He leaned into a solid mix of acoustic pop and soul that kept the thousands of fans engaged.
The live instrumentation sat well in the mix, giving plenty of room for his vocals to cut through. He didn’t need to overcomplicate the delivery, a guitar and his microphone were enough to hold the audience’s attention. Fans were treated to “You Give Me Something” which naturally got a huge response.
Thousands of people sang the lyrics right back to him, enjoying the balmy night air. When he played “Broken Strings” the reaction from the venue was immediate. The entire crowd took over the vocals, singing the song back to him in one of the loudest moments of the night. He looked entirely comfortable playing in this kind of outdoor setting. It was a genuinely strong performance that wrapped up a brilliant July evening in Dublin.
Emeli Sandé photos:
James Morrison photos:
Photos & words – Zoltán Szabó @mrzoltanphoto