Live Review: Beth Hart – 20th February 2025 – Eventim Apollo, London, UK

American singer-songwriter Beth Hart rose to fame in 1999 with LA Song (Out of This Town) from her second studio album, which landed her a number one hit in New Zealand and put her on the map. She continued to release steadily over the years with a variety of labels including her 2022 album of Led Zepplin covers and her eleventh solo studio album, 2024’s You Still Got Me. Sitting firmly in the contemporary rocky/blues category, Hart is know for her raw vocal talent and emotional depth, so we were excited to see her live at the Eventim Apollo on Feb 20 as her tour band continues it’s swing through Europe.

As I approached the venue about 20 minutes before start time, I immediately thought something was off as there was almost nobody outside and my first thought was that the show had been cancelled. After grabbing a drink in the (mostly empty) lobby, I walked through the doors of the auditorium and saw most of the audience was in the 50-70 age range and was simply already seated and patiently awaiting the start of the show. I chuckled to myself and took my seat.

She took the stage with her drummer and two guitarists wearing skin tight black leggings and a lightly embellished black crop top. Wasting no time, she kicked off the show with (a Melody Gardot cover) If I Tell You I Love You, then Suga In My Bowl from her latest release, and Face Forward from 2007’s 37 Days. Hart is almost a musical freak of nature; her vocal talent is undeniable. Her distinctive vibrato and gritty tone combined with her enormous volume and projection makes her ideally suited for the rocky, soul-infused blues genre. She made it seem effortless as she moved between up-tempo rock songs to more emotional ballads, which she frequently played on the piano.

At one point, she left the stage and walked to the back of the auditorium while covering Blood, Sweat and Tears’ I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, much to the delight of the audience. As she worked her way through the crowd, she fearlessly connected with them and it was amazing to see and a rare opportunity to get that close to a performer during a show. Several times during the show she stopped and chit chatted to introduce a song or give a brief back-story and occasionally interacted with concert goers.

She continued the set with various songs from her catalogue and a few covers, including John Denver’s can’t-help-but-sing-along Take Me Home Country Roads. Though she didn’t include what is probably her most well-known hit LA Song  or other charting songs like Mechanical Heart, they weren’t really missed and she closed the show with covers of Led Zepplin’s Good Times Bad Times and Kashmir.  Hart is a phenomenal talent and engaging live performer, and clearly has a deep emotional connection to her music. It was an amazing show.

Setlist:
If I Tell You I Love You (Melody Gardot cover)
Suga n My Bowl
Face Forward
I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know (Blood, Sweat & Tears cover)
Let’s Get Together
Little Heartbreak Girl
Never Underestimate a Gal
Bad Woman Blues
Skin
Drunk on Valentine
God Bless You
Trouble
I Need a Hero
Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver cover)
Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash
Fat Man
Wonderful World
Hold Me Through the Night

Encore:
Good Times Bad Times (Led Zeppelin cover)
Kashmir (Led Zeppelin cover)

Robert Lee

::: Renowned For Sound Technical Director and Film Reviewer ::: Robert is an IT geek, movie fan and part-time movie reviewer/editor. Robert also looks after the ‘behind the scenes’ technical elements of Renowned For Sound.