Ben Howard brought his I Forget Where We Were Tour to a sold out Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday night. We’ve been into Ben Howard for a few years and got to see him open up for Mumford & Sons. His 2011 debut Every Kingdom made the Mercury Prize shortlist so this headlining tour has been a long way coming.
If you’ve been a fan of Howard’s since his first album, you might notice the difference in tone on his latest release, I Forget Where We Were. That change was really noticeable live. He’s still masterful on the guitar and writes with almost painful honesty. He has always been able to convey the very heart of an emotion or feeling but lately the material has gotten darker. Obviously, the source or inspiration for the music has changed but the result is truly fantastic. Looking out into the audience, we saw the crowd mimic Howard in passion and expression. He mostly performs with his eyes closed which makes his guitar playing even more incredible. The title track of the last album and “End of the Affair” brought most people to tears. Major props to Hammerstein and Howard’s lighting designer for providing an intense atmosphere that perfectly reflected his music.
Hiss Golden Messenger from Durham, North Carolina opened.
Ben Howard
Hiss Golden Messenger
