Olly Murs was in the Right Place At The Right Time
After a week of tragedy around the US, it was nice to have an upbeat concert to look forward to. Saturday evening, I headed over to the Trocadero in Philly for the first time to see what the venue was all about and to catch what I knew would be a great set from Olly Murs. With fans lined up all the way around the block, doors opened around 7 pm and slowly the venue began to fill with around a thousand
people. All eager for both the opening band, Before You Exit, and headliner Olly Murs, fans were chanting both names, and the second the lights dimmed, screams filled the building.
At 8 pm, the brothers of Before You Exit took to the stage ready to rock their 30 minute set. Constantly running around the stage, playing fan favorite songs, and even jumping onto the barricade and singing to the crowd, the brothers kept everyone entertained and kicked off the night right. Towards the end of their set, they covered Hanson’s “Mmm Bop” and then ended with “I Like That.” They did their job and got fans jumping and dancing along. With a brief break to reset the stage, fans took a minute to catch their breath and get prepared for Olly.
At 9 pm, Olly snuck out onstage from behind his backup singers. With a genuine smile across his face from the moment he stepped on stage, Olly kicked off the night with “Army Of Two” and the crowd was already singing along. Dancing around the stage and never missing a beat, Olly continued on with songs like “Dance With Me Tonight” and “Personal.” He joked between songs and kept the mood excited and fun. Midway through, he slowed things down and dedicated “Hand On My Heart” to those affected by this week’s tragedy and was a bit emotional towards the end of the song. Through the entire set, fans knew most of the words and were constantly singing along and dancing. According to Olly, the crowd was “ledge” which just means legendary. Being that it was the second night of tour, he was still in shock that he got to play to so many people in the US and was truly grateful to each and every person who came out. Towards the end of the set, he
talked with the crowd about his X-Factor audition, joking about how he was when he auditioned, and then proceeded to sing his audition song, “Superstition.”
After some beatboxing and getting the crowd to sing the Fresh Prince theme song, Olly ended the night with the two big singles, “Troublemaker” and “Heart Skips A Beat.” All in all, it was a great show from beginning to end and Olly proved to be more than just a “pop” singer. His vocal talent proved why he deserves to be where he is and if you can catch a show, it’s worth the time and money.
