Dress attire at the Tower Theatre was business professional as David Gray and Co. took stage at a venue quite fitting for one of our day’s greatest singer/songwriters.  We wouldn’t have even had the chance to see this show had it not been for Mooney Marketing, so much thanks towards Chris, his group and all they do.

David Gray might be best known for his solo songwriting talent.  The majority of what the public knows of Gray and his ability to sing from the heart appear on his beloved breakout album White Ladder.  Up until now, we had no idea what to expect on the performing side of matters, but with his latest album Draw The Line, the theme loops in and out of his newfound soul-searching which was the basis and thought of most, if not every song on DTL.  Most known by now is Gray’s single from this album, “Fugitive“, which gallops along with an enlightening, powerful message of freedom of the mind from oneself.

“Crouched in a hole like a mud-streaked fugitive” were the first words we heard as the performance began and Gray shouted an elongated “Fuuuuuuugitive!” almost as if he were releasing the demons himself.  After hearing “Fugitive”, one of his most impressive songs in his back pocket, a follow-up song proves to be quite tough.  But the next half hour was filled with his latest music; something intertwined each song to the next.  Spectacular songs such as driven-down “Kathleen” (one of my newfound favorites) or upbeat songs such as “Stella The Artist” filled in the voids, if any, as Gray shined on stage.

The overall demographic was bit of an older crowd, but obviously appeased those who have since moved from Gray’s White Ladder in 1998 backwards into his collection with Sell Sell Sell and now forward 11 years later with Draw The Line.  Several women ran forward towards the stage during the performance and others swayed as Gray sat down at his piano and performed an acoustic rendition of “Transformation“.  The crowd cheered even louder as the title-track “Draw The Line” began playing.

The theme in Upper Darby was substance – guitar, vocals and great songwriting became the focal point here.  As the concert grew longer, more familiar songs were played such as “Babylon“, “Sail Away” and “This Year’s Love“.  “The Other Side” followed by several love songs drove the crowd up to its apex of the night until Gray and his clan walked off stage.

The encore sealed the deal – The most spectacular moment of the show was the ultimate ending as “Please Forgive Me” turned into a dance fest of sorts.  Women dancing in the aisles, bright specs of light shining off of disco ball mounted behind the band and Gray happy as a clam driving the near-techno beat into an opulent extended version of the song.  Nearly 8-10 minutes went on with Gray dancing more and more on stage, the crowd getting more and more into it until the song ended and a grand applause followed.  A Phillies hat was thrown on stage (one of which David Gray put on backwards) and the Tower Theatre left quite satiated with the result.

Two things stuck out from this performance:  1) David Gray is a pure performer.  His ability to sing and play complex chords and riffs on the piano and guitar are nearly unnoticeable.  2) He lives his music.  If you listen to any of his songs, then watch him perform, there is no doubt every song is sung from the gut of his stomach with the same meaning as he wrote each song.  With as many years I have listened to David Gray and explored more of his music and fell more in love with certain songs, I now have a much better idea of him as a songwriter and performer from watching this show.  His latest album Draw The Line is much more mature than each album he has released over the past decade and is really fantastic to listen right through in one shot.

You can still catch David Gray if you are over in Europe.  Check out his tour dates right here on his official site.  30 second previews of every song are available as well.  You can buy Draw The Line on iTunes by clicking here.

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