Wow, Wow, Wow, was the reaction of the cheering crowd and all any of us could say and feel, after witnessing what can only be described as “a match made in heaven”, as Grammy award winning vocalist, Seal took the stage with San Francisco’s beloved Symphony on Thursday November 30, 2017 for an epic an unforgettable night. Seal was clearly in his element from the minute he walked on, captivating the sold-out audience with the mystique and elegance of some of the greatest jazz singers of all time, staying true to the originals, but putting his own vocal spin on classic standards that included; “My Bloody Valentine”, “I Put A Spell On you”, “That’s Life” as well as one that he called, one his favorite songs of all time, “Smile”. San Francisco was the first stop on Seal’s latest tour to promote a new album of Jazz throwbacks called, “Standards.” The album is loaded with 11 all time jazz favorites and Seal stated, “It was an absolute joy to work on this album, something I’ve wanted to do for years.”
At most concerts, fans would prefer to do without the chitter chatter from performers between songs, but Seal was a true gentlemen loaded with charm and charisma, telling delightful stories of his adventures through the years and cracking wise jokes which made the performance that much more enjoyable. At one point during the performance Seal completely left the stage, which most thought was part of the show, however when he reappeared he explained with nervous delight, “I need to be honest and tell all of you what just happened as that was not part of the set, my pant buckle came loose and I had to quickly attend to it, so my apologies,”
as the crowed erupted into laughter.
Seal hasn’t lost one bit of his amazing vocal ability and at 54, he’s aged gracefully, given all the year’s of traveling and touring, which he stated was not something anyone told him about when he first started his career. Seal meshed well with the SF symphony and the fact that they barely practiced, made this effortless union even more magical. He praised all the players multiple times, saying, “It’s a real thrill for me to perform with real musicians, thank you to all of you, thank you for your talents and thank you so much for having me.”
Although this was a night clearly dedicated to moody, nostalgic throwbacks, the night would not have been complete without Seal, performing some of his own tunes. With only a Stratocaster, the amazing singer got the crowd fired up and singing along to some of his best including, “Deep Water”, and a stunning performance of, “Kiss By A Rose” that brought the crowd to its feet and clearly was the highlight of the evening. The show continued through the last leg with Seal ringing in the holiday spirit with Christmas classics, “Let It Snow” and “A Christmas Song”, reminding me of why he is hands down one of my favorite singers of all time. The epic show could have ended here, but many of us were hopeful for an encore of arguably his best song, “Crazy” and sure enough Seal delivered, as fans sang along in the aisles and closing out a night that will go down as one of the best of San Francisco.
Seal “Standards” the new album is out now
For more info on SF Symphony go to: www.sfsymphony.org.
For more info on SEAL go to: www.seal.com.
Photo courtesy of James Fawcette