Josh Groban February Song

Josh Groban is a hit at the Scottrade

After singing just a couple songs during his show at Scottrade Center Friday night, Josh Groban talked at length about spending a day off in St. Louis. Then he pulled up short, apparently deciding he was being too chatty. "You people paid out the wazoo to be here tonight. The least I can do is sing my ass off."

To be sure, he did do that. The 30-year old pop/classical singer's neo-operatic voice is a force of nature and he used it to power through his sweeping, anthemic material for two full hours.

But it was Groban's constant effort between songs to be an all-around entertainer - cracking jokes at his own expense, interacting with fans on the arena floor, answering questions he'd received via text message and even facilitating a marriage proposal - that made the show a winner.

Groban entered from the back of the arena and climbed onto a satellite stage, where sang "Changing Colors," "February Song" and part of "You Are Loved" before joining his 13-piece orchestra on the main stage, which was fashioned to look like a weathered stone wall with a huge, broken archway. Groban dubbed it "the Alamo."

Pulling material from all five of his studio albums, Groban moved easily from singing in English to Italian for "Oceano" and Spanish for "Alejante," which featured terrific flamenco-tinged guitar accompaniment from musical director Tariqh Akoni. A couple of the show's highlights - the ballads "Galileo" and "The Bells of New York City," - came from the singer's most recent album, "Illuminations."

Another was an older song, "Machine," as funky a number as exists in his catalog.

An instrumental take on Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die" featured a drum break that allowed Groban to show off his skills on the skins. Later, he shared the microphone with some plainly freaked out teens, who sang a snippet of "The Prayer" with him.

Groban admitted that pairing his type of voice with pop lyrics could be tricky. Songs can come off as "chivalrous and romantic or cheeseball," he said. But thanks to his show's comic underpinnings, even over-the-top songs like the show's closing number, "You Raise Me Up," struck just the right balance.

Josh Groban's “February Song” « Wicked MAD Musings

I’ve been hooked on this song since the summer as it played over and over again while we sat in Starbucks to escape from the humidity, heat, and four surrounding walls.  It’s only fitting that in February the truth of the lyrics would hit me hardest.  I hope you enjoy the amazing voice, writing, and spirit of this song and the singer….

February Song               www.tinyurl.

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Billboard

Billboard

Billboard

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