Joy, definition: a deep inner gladness regardless of circumstances. See also: Andy Grammer.
If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to feel devoid of joy given the current state of the world, but, on Monday night, joy emanated throughout the Pikes Peak Center in Colorado Springs as multi-platinum singer-songwriter Andy Grammer took the stage one week into his The Art of Joy Tour (Part 2).
Twenty three year old Francis Karel, an Indonesian-born artist made known from TikTok, warmed up the audience with passionate lyrical songs about relationships, love, and friendship. The audience quickly learned that this singer-songwriter had made a connection with Andy Grammer through a TikTok duet and found himself on tour with the joyful star, an experience he was still getting used to. There is more to come from Francis Karel and his future is surely bright.
After a half hour opening set, the stage was ready for Andy Grammer and his joyful band to take over. The crowd was already excited and dancing begun in the audience before the first chord was played. Having previously seen Andy in years past, I thought I knew some of what to expect, but I was quickly proven wrong. He opened his set with slam poetry that led perfectly into one of his upbeat and trademark joyful new releases, “Damn It Feels Good to be Me“. As the song goes, “ain’t got nothin’ left to prove,” but as the show continued it was continuously proven that when Andy says joy, he means J O Y. Smiles radiated from both he and the entire band for the duration of the show. The joy, fun, and excitement were contagious. If I were a fan of setting viewers up for failure, I would challenge you to attend this show and NOT have one of the best nights of your life, but I’m an encourager, so I won’t set you up for that, you would surely fail – fun was had by all.
The set list brought something for every fan of any season of Andy Grammer to enjoy. Personally, I was reminded of my early college days spent listening to “Keep Your Head Up” while walking down the halls of the MARTA station to and from campus, and the reminder it served to me to… well, keep my head up. “85” brought me back to standing at a bus station in Scotland listening to the lyrics and deciding to quit my job…that day… in Scotland. My ex-boss can thank Andy for that one! The key factor in all of his songs is looking for the joy, regardless of your circumstances. Personal, emotional, and profoundly beautiful songs such as “She’d Say” and “Saved My Life” (featuring a duet with opener Francis Karel) proved that while life can be difficult, there is joy and beauty to be found in it. Not a body was still, no face went without a smile, there may have even been some tears, but the bottom line is this tour filled that theatre with joy and gave people a reason to go back out into the world smiling. If you’re feeling like joy is hard to find, I’m sure Andy Grammer will remind you where it is and let you borrow some of his, all you have to do is find the show nearest to you.
VIEW A FULL PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE SHOW HERE.
You can find Andy Grammer on The Art of Joy Tour (Part 2) through the end of June in the following cities:
June 10th – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
June 11th – Kansas City, MO – The Truman
June 13th – Nashville, TN – CMA Theater
June 14th* – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
June 15th – Indianapolis, IN – Old National Centre
June 17th – Charlotte, NC – Knight Theater
June 18th – Roanoke, VA – Dr. Pepper Park
June 19th – Charlottesville, VA – The Paramount Theater
June 21st – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
June 22nd – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
June 23rd – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
June 25th – Ft. Benning, GA – Independence Day Celebration
For Tickets and VIP Information visit AndyGrammer.com
* denotes Francis Karel’s last day on tour