Josh Groban
BankAtlantic Center
Sunrise, FL
October 26, 2011
Review and Photos by Anthony Cave
It's a fact –if you were on the Oprah Winfrey show six times, you have a lot going for you.
Multi-faceted performer and humanitarian Josh Groban brought his deep, rich voice to Sunrise, Fla. for his Straight to You Tour.
A nearly sold-out crowd packed the BankAtlantic Center – mothers along with soon-to-be Groban fan daughters, husbands and the casual crowd who came for his iconic cover of “You Raise Me Up.”
I was part of the latter category.
The Grammy and Academy Award nominee also interacted with the audience by reading tweets, high-fiving the crowd and making jokes. Twitter and Mr. Groban mix well – he sang Kanye West tweets on the Jimmy Kimmel show several months ago.
Beyond his personality, Groban seemed on the verge of cancelling the show after several songs, citing a cold. However, after a 15-minute break, Groban was back in full force.
He mastered songs including “To Where You Are” and “Mi Mancherai,” as well as the latest, “Hidden Away,” from his new album Illuminations.
One of his Chorus members also accepted a marriage proposal on-stage, as if battling a cold and reading tweets were not enough entertainment for the South Florida crowd.
"You Raise Me Up,” the masterful song that grabs an emotion and plays with it like a cat with a string, is even better live. Audience members had already shouted the song title minutes before, pining for the monumental hit.
The audience sang along as Groban mouthed the lyrics, hanging on every word and syllable.
Despite the cold, Groban rode out the night well. He vowed to come back to Sunrise as he finished up the evening by introducing his musical ensemble, including the newly-engaged Chorus member.
“You better be good to curse on my stage,” Groban told her, as she accepted the proposal with an expletive.
Groban and his crew were that good.
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