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JONATHAN BUTLER IN CONCERT:
Singer-songwriter Jonathan Butler became an apartheid hero in the ‘70s when his teenage debut single became the first song by a black artist to receive airplay on white radio stations in his native South Africa. Nearly 40 years later, he remains an enduring icon of positive social change through music, gracing audiences with his uplifting voice on inspiring performances of his early South African music and later classics like “Lies.” At his 2013 dates, Butler was joined on stage by his daughter, whose continued presence on tour as a backing singer ensures more spiritually satisfying shows in 2014.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Born in apartheid-era Cape Town, the precocious young Butler showed musical promise from an early age, beginning to tour at just age seven before going on to achieve success as a teen recording idol. After a stint with South African jazz-rock legends Pacific Express, Butler signed to Jive records, relocating to the UK to continue writing and recording. He achieved his biggest international success in 1987 with “Lies,” a Grammy-nominated hit that landed at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his decade-spanning career, Butler has released more than 20 albums, exploring a broad range of styles including jazz, pop, and gospel. Following the release of a Christmas album in 2013, Butler is once again the road for a string of highly anticipated North American dates.
FANS WHO BOUGHT TICKETS SAY:
“Jonathan Butler feels every note he plays and sings, this was quite an evening with great music.”
“Musician, singer, songwriter Jonathan Butler provides a solid evening of entertainment featuring songs he has written, many made famous by other stars, but superbly covered by this great artist. His musicianship is stellar and his voice always a delight.”
“If Jonathan Butler ever comes close to your location, you must go. These days his daughter, Jody Butler, is performing with him. She's an unexpected treat.”
Hadn't seen Jonathan Butler in quite a while - boy was he worth the wait. I wish he sang a bit more of his older songs, however, he was wonderful and had the crowd in a 'love and light spirit' during the entire show. Simply fabulous!
JONATHAN BUTLER GETS BETTER WITH AGE LIKE A FINE WINE!!
Jonathan Butler always gives an awe-inspiring performance. I love how he mixes humor, spirituality and jazz; fusing it all in one. When he had the audience stand and hold hands while singing along to his version of "What the World Need Now..(Is Love, Sweet Love)" by Burt Bacharach; well, I think I shed a tear or two.. very emotional moment. Keep up the good work Jonathan and stay "BLESSED". Oh, my overall rating is definitely 5+ stars. Looking forward to his next DMV performance.
The show was good - 3.5 out of 5 stars. I definitely recommend this artist - fantastic vocals as always!!!
The show was simply outstanding. The Birchmere venue was perfect to enjoy the show. The event was responsibly price and offered good food and drinks.
Fully enjoyed the concert Jonathan Butler interacted with the audience during the who performance. The best single person concert I been to in a long time. Everyone seems to have enjoyed themselves .
I love Jonathan Butler and I thought he put on an excellent show. I deducted a star for two reasons: 1) I could not hear a lot of what Jonathan was saying. I'm not sure if it was a microphone problem or an enunciation problem, but the woman next to me was having the same difficulty. 2) Given the half hour intermission, we got less than two hours of entertainment, which I believe is too little for the ticket price.
I have attended other wonderful performances in many genres at the Harrison Opera House but found this one to be extremely enjoyable. I am most grateful that he agreed to perform in Norfolk. I commented to my guest that I began listening to Jonathan Butler way back in the 80's when I was stationed in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean/British Territory, and found it remarkable how he sounded the same, usually singers loose some of their range, but his vocal range sounds even better than when I first began listening to him. I truly like the way he mixed the metamorphosis of his sound to show the transformation and growth in his life. There is no doubt that he will hear "Well done my faithful servant" just for the joy and gift you share.
The sold out show started on time with no opening act. Jonathan Butler and his band came out and started playing crowd pleasing music right away. His set list included a blend of instrumental and vocal selections. Jonathan's guitar playing was exceptional and each of his band members held their own quite nicely, especially the piano player. He played his best known hits such as "Sara,Sara," "Lies," and "Falling in Love with Jesus," but the majority of the selections came from his new CD "Close To You" featuring the music of Burt Bacharach. Jonathan played these familiar songs with his own unique twists that made them fresh and quite enjoyable. Many of them turned in audience sing-a-longs. Jonathan's voice was in great shape as he weaved in and out of song after song. Overall it was a great evening of wonderful music performed by an incredible artist and his great band.
Great show ! First Half . Second half could use a little work .
I thought the venue was the perfect atmosphere for such a concert. Johnathan Butler was superb, and the intimate setting was perfect for him involving the audience in his performance.
Awesome concert! I hope he comes back to Hampton Roads, I will be there❤️👍🏾
The quality of the sound was very bad . My wife and I was sitting in the balcony we could barely hear him clearly also when he was picking his guitar it was very low. It appeared the speakers were pointed downward. I was very unpleased with the engineer working the mixing board. Other than that it was a great concert.
The concert was GREAT. JB delivered 10 times over. Always good to see him perform before such a diverse crowd. He is the best. Venue was nice, ushers at venue could have been more attentive. Folks needing assistance in finding seats was a distraction from the performance begining. Overall-well pleased.
I was presently surprise by Johnathan Butler’s performance. What I was expected was so much more that we received. Mr. Butler has an amazing voice. We would love to see him again. This concert has made we want to listen to more of his music. Well worth the travel!
The evening was magical, Jonathan is such a humble person.
Outstanding show which featured two of my favorite artists. Both acts performances exceeded my expectations.
It was the best jazz concert I've ever experienced
My friends and I had a phenomenal experience! Jonathan Butler and Pieces of a Dream gave us a wonderful evening of great jazz and an entertaining experience.
I've seen Jonathan Butler at least a dozen times over the years and what keeps bringing me back is the fact no two gig are alike. He'll take you to church in Austin, get Funky in Baltimore, chill you out in Norfolk. In Dallas he took us to South Africa. He is soooo correct when he said (jokingly yet accurately) [I can do George Benson (scatting) and Stevie Wonder (melody), but they can't do South Africa]. The percussive rhythm, his vocalization and of course his guitar play took us on a trip! His tickets are still inexpensive, and you get every penny's worth and so much more.
