James Bay takes the stage with his band and jumps right into “Up All Night” from his 2024 album, “Changes All The Time”. He recorded this track with The Lumineers and Noah Kahan. “Let’s talk about dreams, let’s talk about lies / Let’s talk about all the things that keep us up all night”. This joyful upbeat song sets a great tone for the night. The lyrics remind many of “Let’s Talk About Sex” by Salt-N-Pepa. “Let’s talk about sex, baby / Let’s talk about you and me / Let’s talk about all the good things / And the bad things that may be”. 

Soon afterwards, they play “If You Ever Want To Be In Love” from the 2015 album, Chaos And The Calm. The crowd erupts after recognizing the song from the first few piano notes. “I’ll come around / If you ever want to be in love / I’m not waiting, but I’m willing if you call me up”. This is such a beautiful song and it makes for a great sing-a-long. 

A few songs later, they play the opening of “Let It Go” and the audience screams. This is his most popular song on Spotify with over 1.29 billion streams. “So come on, let it go / Just let it be / Why don’t you be you / And I’ll be me?” The riff along with the lyrics make this an masterful breakup song. 

For the final song of the encore, they play “Hold Back The River”, which was nominated for “Best Rock Song” at the Grammys. The opening sounds similar to “Let It Go”, which makes sense because they are both on the same album.  “Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes / Hold back the river, so I / Can stop for a minute and be by your side”. It’s a fantastic song to end a superb night of live music. 

See a similar setlist here. 

Cost of a ticket: $60

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Worth It +

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don t Bother

Quinn Delaney