Concert Review

Artist:  Duffy

Date:  October 16, 2008

Venue:  Orpheum Theatre

Where: Vancouver, BC

Reviewed By: Melanie Shim (Vancouver Correspondent)

Despite a rainy and miserable night, Duffy brought sunshine and warmth to Vancouver with her unique voice and incredible talent.  A Welsh blonde with a big voice, the charming singer literally blew the roof off of the Orpheum Theatre Thursday night.  And despite the stormy weather, a bit of rain would have not wrecked the entire experience behind the Duffy sensation.

A big fan since her North American album release, I was excited to see the small town girl in action.  With equal parts of sass and sweet, Duffy managed to convey both vulnerability and attitude in one song.  Although her distinct tone can sometimes be painfully sharp, Duffy’s vocal flaw does not seem like a flaw at all.  In fact, the crackle in her voice emotes more passion and feeling than any word could, while the purr in her tone is sultry with the power of suggestion.

Duffy stepped onto the stage in a red hot dress with even hotter black patent pumps (her legs looked so amazing that I vowed to wear stilettos all the time).  Sexy and fun, Duffy looked like a vintage pin-up, with the big hair and the slinky dress.  Her set started with the sugary “Syrup and Honey”, proving she is not an artist who needs the help of recording equipment.  Her voice barely reached painful Mariah Carey screeching levels; thankfully she has much more control than the artist formally mentioned.

My favourite performance of the night was most definitely “Warwick Avenue”.  Starting off acapella, Duffy has never sounded better.  I am a sucker for musical gimmicks and tricks, so anything acapella definitely gives me chills.  In that one moment, her voice seemed to transcend the confines of the theatre, leaving me breathless.  Another song I enjoyed was “Mercy”, Duffy’s international hit single.  A contemporary pop song, while still retaining its Sixties’ girl group influences, “Mercy” produced a wall of sound (à la Phil Spector) emitting from the large band and the petite singer that was certainly impressive and encouraged everyone to stand up and dance.

A couple of B-side tracks (“Tomorrow” and “Breaking My Own Heart”) made its way into the set list, while a new song “Rain on Your Parade”, flowed nicely with Duffy’s other material.  Perfect for the discothèque, “Rain on Your Parade” is still a fun song that should be a hit in Canada.

And then the concert ended much too quickly.  I could have easily listened to Duffy sing for another hour or so just to experience her presence and her subtle charisma.  I was drawn in and did not really fancy coming out into the dark, dreary Vancouver night.  Despite the short performance, I hope Duffy continues to make Vancouver a regular tour stop; if not, I would definitely be begging her for mercy.