Tranquility and love were in the air after a quiet girl with an immense voice from Malibu, California graced Buffalo.
Grammy award winner Colbie Caillat began her seven-week tour in the UB Center for the Arts Mainstage Theatre, amongst some of her biggest fans. She included music from all three of her albums.
Armed with a six-person band and a pair of knee-high boots, Caillat opened her set with her hit singles "Realize" and "The Little Things" from her debut album Coco.
Caillat did an amazing job not only making sure her vocals stood out against the music, but also a spectacular job preparing her band for the performance. Her band – including a drummer, two guitarists, a bassist, pianist and backing vocalist – had a chemistry seldom seen on stage.
The song "I Won't" from her sophomore album, Breakthrough, began with an intense, yet intimate, drum solo and sparked one of the best reactions from the audience all night.
"Words can't explain how happy I am to see [Caillat] live," said Margaret Kleeman, a local stay at home mother of Amherst. "I've been listening to [Caillat] for years. My kids love her, my husband loves her, I love her," said Kleeman with her husband on her arm and three children sitting around them.
Before performing the new track, "Shadow," from her newest album All of You, Caillat explained the inspiration when co-writing the song with her guitarist and vocalist, Justin Young, which stemmed from an emotionally abusive relationship Caillat's friend went through.
The tempo of the show was turned up a notch when Caillat performed the song "Falling For You," which had most of the audience singing along and bopping their heads. Following that was the song "Brighter Than The Sun," which actually got the audience to their feet dancing and interacting with Caillat.
Caillat ended her 90-minute long set with a crowd favorite, "Bubbly," and a standing ovation.
Preceding Caillat's performance was fellow Californian musician, Andy Grammer. Grammer, accompanied by a drummer and bassist, performed six original tracks from his self-titled debut album, as well as a cover of Maroon 5's hit "Sunday Morning."
Despite the audience being mainly middle-aged women with their daughters, there were a few brave men that came along. Grammer made himself accessible to both audiences by being both wholesome and flirtatious.
His personality shone brighter than his music, however, as his 2-person band often overpowered him. Nonetheless, the audience did not seem to mind Grammer's jokes between songs.
The comfort and grace Caillat showed on stage is proof of hard work throughout the past four years as her career has blossomed; and her show at UB's CFA serves as a positive precursor for the rest of her tour.
Email: arts@ubspectrum.com
