Tom Odell at Mascotte Zurich

It was just about 6 pm. I was sitting in the bus for home already, when a message arrived, if I would like to go to the Tom Odell concert at Mascotte. He got a spare ticket. Of course I wanted! I jumped out of the bus, ran over to the train station and only just caught the train to Zurich! It was just in time to arrive shortly before 8 pm. Oh, the joy was huge!

Three years after his debut album “Long Way Down”, Tom Odell finally announced his follow up with the title “Wrong Crowd” (release: 10.06.2016). With the “No Bad Days” tour a small prerelease club tour followed with it, that brought him to Mascotte in Zurich as well. The tour was announced at short notice, I got to know about it by chance. The Mascotte – small but nice – yay! But so the concert was sold out way too quickly within 2 days and I didn’t get any ticket. I already had put up with not going… how quickly it can change.

Good that so many musician are so reliably unpunctual – esp. the international ones – and so the concert started not as announced at 8 pm but about half an hour later. (Though, maybe it’s the Mascotte – it’s not been the first time a concert didn’t start by the announced time). In the end I’ve been standing on the right side of the stage, at the front. Surprisingly it’s always pretty easy and often there’s still a empty spot, you can put yourself. So I had a good sight. I also could place my bag and jacket well, so none was disturbed by them. Already before the show started it was super warm in the small location. I reminded myself not to lose my taken off scarf.

About 500 visitors find place at Mascotte and it was a very nice atmosphere. Tom enthused with his four member band and background singer the audience with his new, but also a hand full of old songs. Accompaigned by cheering and screaming the band entered the stage, Tom sat down at the piano. They started with the new “Still Getting Used To Being On My Own”. You know it, that with new, still unknown songs the audience is always very reserved. His concert was still accompaigned by cheers and shouts throughout the whole concert though. During hits as “I know”, “Can’t Pretend” or esp. of course “Another Love” everyone became esp. enthusiastic. And the band, esp. Tom put their whole energy and passion into their songs.

With the first new titles “Wrong Crowd” and “Magnetised” I was a bit afraid, I might not like the new album too much. Both titles are very electronic. But live it was just so different again and I didn’t feel like it was too bad, even in the end I liked the songs best, during which he was sitting alone on stage at the piano. Esp. I completely fell in love with “Constellations”

“… It’s the same old constellation, the stars up in the sky. Yeah, I’ve got a feeling, they’re gonna look different tonight…” –

which he sang with a gentle melody and voice. The title absolutely caused goose bumps. Of course he could offer even more of such – gentle, emotional, passionate – the last song, “Somehow” e.g. to mention another one. But of course there were some more uptempo, more energetic and rocky songs, like “Daddy”. Mostly he sat at his piano, played for many titles longer intros, but left it every now and then and stood at the edge of the stage, even climbing on top of the piano. The concert shouldn’t have ever ended… Of course it did, but not without any encore. So the band was brought back  on stage for “Grow Old With Me” and “Hold Me” by clapping and whistling.

A total multifaceted, touching concert. It was great fun to get to know the new songs and after, you could wait even less for his new work “Wrong Crowd”. The Mascotte only emptied slowely after. It’s always quite annoying in this club,  the wardrobe is in a super unfavourable spot. With my thoughts somewhere between the concert and my last train, I pushed past the people with thousands of ‘sorrys” and ‘pardons’. The train didn’t wait. But supposabley just cos of this, my favourite scarf didn’t come along… how, where and when I exactly lost it, wasn’t clear to me. Typically! Luckily it was still at Mascotte and luckily it was found very quickly. A week later I already had it back.

Yes, I again was in many ways very lucky on this day. And I knew the right people – so THANK YOU! And by the way, Tom Odell is performing on Saturday, 27 August 2016 at Winterthurer Musikfestwochen. Infos you can find HERE.

Infos about Tom Odell you can find on his official website: www.tomodell.com

Setlist:

  1. Still getting used to being on my own
  2. I know
  3. Wrong Crowd
  4. Concrete
  5. Constellations
  6. Daddy
  7. Can’t pretend
  8. Here I am / Sparrow
  9. Jealousy
  10. Another love
  11. Magnetised
  12. Somehow
    Encore
  13. Grow old with me
  14. Hold me