Passenger
Passenger
O2 Academy, Glasgow
Jonathan Geddes
When Michael Rosenberg (aka Passenger) remarked that most of the crowd thought he'd released two albums instead of six he wasn't exaggerating, given that so much of his success has come recently, paying off years of busking and tiny shows.
Rosenberg is a troubadour with an emphasis on being tender-hearted yet robust enough to spark umpteen sing-a-longs, accompanied by many a chest beating gesture. The material that concentrated on the former fared worst here, as despite many requests from the man himself for silence, the likes of gloomy opener Rolling Stone and mellow oldie Underwater Bride lost any impact against a backdrop of conversation.
Rosenberg didn't help matters by spinning a yarn prior to Riding To New York that proved so lengthy it felt like we'd be quicker heading to America ourselves, and the result was a first half that struggled mightily, with a cover of Sound of Silence ditching any grace in favour of bellowing.
A similar issue struck Rosenberg's own work, with his pop-folk tunes often so straightforward they became banal, like saccharine chart-topper Let Her Go. Still, he mustered more energy as the night went on, with 27 stomping along merrily, set-closer Scare Away The Dark crafting an emotional chant and Feather On The Clyde a dulcet local-themed encore that displayed his voice nicely.
It ensured a stronger finale, although there was irony in one of the night's biggest cheers going to a lyric in I Hate that dismissed the X Factor for 'murdering music,' given there later followed a cheesy covers medley of Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac. While Rosenberg's music may be a different shade, it frequently heads for the same safe, unchallenging territory as any reality show.
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