Josh Groban and Judith Hill at the Target Center, Minneapolis (10/19/13)
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Tour Poster Tour Dates
10/20/13 Chicago, IL United Center
10/22/13 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena 10/23/13 Auburn Hills, MI Palace of Auburn Hills 10/25/13 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 10/27/13 Montreal, QC Bell Centre 10/28/13 Boston, MA TD Garden 10/30/13 Newark, NJ Prudential Center 11/02/13 Pittsburgh, PA Consol Energy Center 11/03/13 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center 11/06/13 Sunrise, FL BB&T Center 11/08/13 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum 11/09/13 Orlando, FL Amway Center 11/12/13 Houston, TX Toyota Center 11/13/13 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 11/23/13 Washington, DC JFK Center Read More
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JUDITH HILL
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Opening up the show was Judith Hill, a half-Japanese half-African American singer from Los Angeles. We previously mentioned that she was Michael Jackson's backup singer and can be heard on NBC's "The Voice".
Hill's brief thirty minute set started promptly at 8:00pm with a cover of "I'll Be There", a fitting tribute to Jackson. The song more scaled down thanks to just Hill's vocals and the sound of her piano. You can also tell right away, especially with her sparkling outfit and incredible grand hair, that the girl was born to be on stage with a spotlight directly on her.
Speaking of stage, this was set up in a circular runway around the main center stage. It didn't matter where you saw, you can see the stage clearly, and Hill made use of setup by walking around in a train fashion with her full band (who joined her after the piano intro) as she's singing, "Boys, I'm on a love trip!"
As for Josh Groban, he's actually funnier than you would think. He understands and knows his audience, apologizing to the men. "Are you here with your girlfriend? Wife? Grandma?" If he wasn't known for his uplifting songs, I think he could be a standup comedian.
Between songs, he would entertained us with his thoughts: about the circular stage ("Face shot! Butt shot!"), about St Paul/Minneapolis ("I Wish I had a twin."), and Minneapolis ("I've been in Minneapolis 25 times, I forgot my punchcard for my free cup of coffee.")
There's also segment inbetween his set that he answers questions given to him by his fans. One of the questions I thought was interesting was from Michelle who asked, "Who was your first kiss?" I wonder if he had practice this earlier, because he answered it right away with he was two and she was an older woman. But seriously, his true kiss was from Olivia in sixth grade. He said it was awkward and that was it, but they are still friends on Facebook where he 'pokes' her (which got a bit of a laugh).
Groban's set included a semi-full orchestra which brought his set of songs on a different level than the typical rock show. Songs on his set mixed in old hits (such as "Vincent" from his debut album) and new songs (including Spanish song called "Un Alma Mas" and a Jimmy Webb song called "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress".), but always saving his signature song, "You Raise Me Up", at the end.
Look for Josh Groban and Judith Hill on tour this fall. Groban's All That Echo is out now, Hill's debut album will be out soon.
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Josh Groban at the Target Center, Minneapolis (10/19/13) |