Longtime readers of my blog will have heard me wax lyrical about David Campbell before. He’s one of those rare artists that encourages me to get out and see him each and every time he tours. Even rarer, he does so because he always delivers an amazing performance. And it was no different when last night I caught his On Broadway show at Mingara Recreation Club.
After several very successful albums, David has an extensive and eclectic back catalogue to play with. There’s the music from Shout, the swing songs, old 60s rock and roll, and now showtunes in his repertoire. It takes a skillful performer to deliver such variety without alienating his audience, but David had us there with him through it all.
The first portion of the show concentrated on those Broadway numbers, which really came to life on stage. David’s always been such a theatrical performer, who no doubt learned a thing or two during his time in New York, so tunes from Chicago and Boy from Oz were an easy fit. I enjoy the On Broadway album, but was surprised by some of the disc’s more obscure song selections. Given that, I was thrilled that in the live arena he focused on those tunes we all know, encouraging us to sing along and ensuring we all had a fabulous time. “Bring Him Home,” the showstopper from Les Miserables was incredible, and we all had fun when he played with those high-tech recording pedals in Guys and Dolls’ “Horse Right Here.”
He kicked things up a notch in the second half, and it didn’t take long before I joined the women enthusiastically dancing on the sides of the auditorium. Songs like “Yeah Yeah,” “She’s My Baby” and “Suspicious Minds” are just so much fun, and we lapped them up. Not that it was all light-hearted. David brought tears to a few eyes with his incredible renditions of “Mr. Bojangles” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
It takes a truly special performer to breathe new life into songs we’ve all heard many times before. David Campbell is definitely that, a genuine showman who can move his audience to tears and have them in fits of laughter on a whim. Rest assured, I’ll front up for tickets when the next tour rolls around.
Image source: own photo