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| David Gray @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
David Gray had Oakland’s Fox Theater packed to the back of the balcony Monday night as he deftly delivered a nearly 2 ½ hour set that was well-balanced between new music, worldwide hits and his engaging banter. Backed by an impressive 5-piece backing band on a stage that was stripped of frills but bathed in gorgeous light, Gray energized a fully-seated crowd – not an easy undertaking in a venue like The Fox – not to mention it being the night after Super Bowl Sunday.
Gray took the stage with arms held high in victory to an extremely warm greeting from the crowd as he strapped on his acoustic guitar for the opening songs. “Hello Oakland and the entire Bay Area” he smiled before launching into a rousing “After the Harvest” - the opening song off the “Dear Life” album he released last month. He and his band would play six of the new album’s songs on the night with each song given an intro and played with a confidence and power belying their youth. With his second and third songs, he went back to the “White Ladder” album that was bursting with huge hits in 1988 and played “White Ladder” and “My Oh My.”
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| David Gray @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Gray took to the piano for “Singing for the Pharoah” (another cut off the new album) and then segued into a short cover of Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough” that had the entire Fox on its feet and clapping with him. Gray donned an electric guitar for a tender version of 2005’s “The One I Love” that sent the crowd soaring.
Perhaps his most beautiful song of the night was “Slow Motion” that saw him beginning with a rag feel on the piano before the band kicked in and the entire ensemble harmonized. “Snowflakes are falling. I’ll catch them in my hand” he poignantly and mournfully repeated as the song alternated between stark piano and the full band’s support. He stayed on the piano to deliver a tender and guilty “Ain’t No Love.” His powerful vocals on the “No it ain’t no love guiding me” seemed to echo throughout the Fox.
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| Craig 'Clune' McClune @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
As he introduced “Eyes Made Rain” from the recent release, Gray let the crowd know “I’m told the young people like this song” and was met by a loud, semi-drunken boo from an older man in the balcony. The mostly over 40 audience giggled along and Gray smiled before his drummer delivered strikingly terrific and creative percussion. “Leave Taking” was another percussive gem with haunting lights and background vocals. Gray’s jumped from his piano to lead the audience in clapping from the front of the stage as the song gained a driving momentum throughout before ending to one of the loudest roars of the night.
“Every time I come into San Francisco and the Bay Area I think of Van the Man. He left an imprint here. So, in honor of the man himself,” Gray said before delivering a lightning-paced version of “The Way Young Lovers Do” that was full of spark and spit, love and scorn. From that cover he went to his ample cupboard of hits with “Be Mine” as the audience was flooded in magnificent light.
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| David Gray @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Gray seemed to hit a different level of emotional sharing with his intro to “Last Boat to America” as he relayed the difficulties he had navigating the world after he “went from making a record in my bedroom to being number 1 in multiple countries.” The biggest challenge seems to have come from his father’s passing on a Valentine’s Day that came just a handful of days after a weekend of friends celebrating him. “Grief is the shadow of love,” Gray told the audience before an emotional version of the first song he wrote after his father’s passing.
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| David Gray @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
A few songs later, Gray – who changes his setlist substantially nightly – told the crowd “It’s been an undulating set so far,” before the familiar opening notes of “Please Forgive Me” with the crowd joining him as he implored “Sing with me Oakland.” The main set was ended with the monster-hit “Babylon” with Gray on acoustic guitar as the crowd sang the chorus lustily.
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| David Gray @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“This Year’s Love” opened the encore with Gray bathed under a spotlight and delivering the version on the keyboard with minimal accompaniment. Twenty-seven years after its release, the song still hits the heart so bittersweet with its balance of melancholy, reverence and longing. Despite having crossed well over the two-hour concert threshold, Gray’s voice held up immaculately throughout and cut through the audience like a dagger on that song. “The Other Side” followed – starting as a haunting keyboard-focused number before Gray put on an acoustic guitar and kicked the full band into the song. The night finished with “Sail Away” and a still near-capacity audience (despite the school night and concert length) stood and delivered thunderous applause. Gray waved to the crowd with a broad smile of an entertainer who knew he’d delivered an outstanding show and connected with his audience.
.jpg "Sierra Spirit @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter)") |
| Sierra Spirit @ the Fox Theater (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Very-talented singer-songwriter Sierra Spirit opened the night – accompanied by guitarist Mistine. The Oklahoma-raised Native American artist provided an energetic set that won the Oakland crowd over (despite multiple moments of “Thank you San Francisco” throughout). Songs from her terrific “Coin Toss” EP formed the core of the set with a nice cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” thrown in at about the mid-point. She’s certainly one to keep an eye on.
