Live Review: Jack Savoretti – 23rd June 2023 – Hampton Court Palace, London, UK

Looking around at Thursday nights performance of Italian charmer, Jack Savoretti’s show in the historic confines of Hampton Court Palace, anyone looking at images or videos from the event would be forgiven for thinking it was the cold, dead of winter. As rain fell over a crowd dressed in cagoules and huddling partners for warmth, Savoretti did his best to keep the crowd warm through a powerful set as part of the years Hampton Court Festival series which sees the likes of Sheryl Crow, Sam Ryder and Jessie J form 2024’s star studded lineup.

We last caught Savoretti a couple of years back at London’s Eventim Apollo and ever since then we have been fans so were keen to catch the When We Were Young singer perform in such a gran, historic venue as Hampton Court Palace and he certainly did not let us down as he delivered a masterful set which touched on most of his career highlights as well as swooning the fans with a few romantic Italian numbers form his latest studio record, Miss Italia which was released in mid-May.

Opening with the dramatic Candlelight and dressed casually in a pair of tight jeans and an oversized, unbutton short, the musician was met with a lively cheer from a crowd that was made up of music lovers of older generations for the most part but how were as eager to help singe back to the singer as he often encourage – not that they needed any encouragement of course, as most were in very cheerful spirits despite the weather lashing down on them as they danced out in the open spaces of the venue.

Savoretti would also often encourage the crowd to get up on their feet and dance, orchestrating this during performances of the country-tinged We Are Bound, a hootenanny-style offering of Knock Knock and the bluesy Miss Italia. “We’re gonna pretend we’re somewhere really hot”, he told the audience during his performance of the latter as a way to keep the crowd warm and moving. But Londoners are used to this type of weather; Savoretti announcing “A London crowd is a sturdy crowd” ahead of his performance of Catapult.

When We Were Lovers was an obvious crowd pleaser with its up-tempo folk melodies and thumping rhythm while a closing section offering of Tie Me Down and a bouncy rendition of the singers funky Nile Rodgers collaboration, Who´s Hurting Who were met with thunderous applauses from the crowd.

With that unmistakable throaty Italian voice that could melt even the most staunch of listeners, Savoretti charmed the soaked crowd with emotionally charged ballads including the piano and violin led The Way You Said Goodbye, which carried a very orchestral energy to it – much like others within the set like the punchy What More Can I Do where Savoretti sat with acoustic guitar next to his bandmates playing piano, violin and double bass for the memorable highlight within the set.

With his undeniably casual and personable stage presence, many anecdotes were placed between songs and interaction with his fans, giving the audience a glimpse into his songwriting style and influences that led to the creation of his records and at one point posing on stage behind a younger punter taking a selfie and trying to capture the musician in the background.

Tender moments also came with heartfelt stories of performing the night before the D Day ceremonies ahead of his performance of Soldiers Eyes as well as a moving tribute to his father who passed away 2 years ago and a recounting of the grief the singer struggled with during this time, allowing the audience to see an even more vulnerable side to the star.

With many incredible performances having already taken place and still scheduled over the coming week as part of Hampton Court Festival, Jack’s  incredible performance will no doubt be the shining highlight for many.

Setlist:
Candlelight
We Are Bound
WWWL
Catapult
Greatest Mistake
JACK SOLO
Crazy Fool
Soldier´s Eyes
Non Ho Capito Niente
What More Can I Do
The Way You Said Goodbye
Miss Italia
Knock Knock
Back Where I Belong
Who´s Hurting Who
Tie Me Down
Home
Dancing Through The Rain
Io Che Non Vivo

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.