Live Review: Sara Bareilles, Ben Abraham

On the Sydney leg of her Little Black Dress Tour, Sara Bareilles, creator of the ubiquitously catchy 2009 hit, Love Song, played to an enthusiastically packed City Recital Hall.

There are probably a few people reading this thinking, ‘Eh, another pop singer. Big whoop.’ Well, it is a big whoop because if Bareilles’ Sydney concert taught us anything it’s that the singer-songwriter has the voice of a million glorious angels shining down from above. Like, this girl can sing and kind of just kept getting better as the night went on. Her piano solo of Uncharted, towards the beginning of her set was moving, as was the popular but somewhat formulaic Love Song. Newer songs provided the highlights of the night, among them Hercules and I Choose You. Bareilles also pulled off the most notable cover of Sia’s Chandelier that’s possibly ever been done, armed with only a ukulele and her voice, apparently climbing octaves with ease and grace.

When she wasn’t singing her heart out, Bareilles did a good job with the audience banter, happily making jokes and responding with ease to the more awkwardly enthusiastic fans who felt compelled to yell out love declarations between songs.

Bareilles rounded off the night with a mixture of solo songs and larger, more exuberant hits. Australian support Ben Abraham was invited onstage for a three-song mini-duet, including one of Abraham’s own songs, which was surprisingly touching.

The piano-motivated Manhattan was beautifully bittersweet, while in direct contrast, That Guy’s An Asshole was a refreshingly light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek laugh. Brave, Bareilles’ hit single for the year was as catchy and energetic as you’d expect it to be and encore track, Gravity, a sleeper hit of Bareilles’ from 2009, left her audience feeling a little emotionally spent, but overall very content.