James Blunt: ‘Back to Bedlam’ 20th Anniversary Tour, at Rod Laver Arena and touring Australia and New Zealand - 1 hour 50 minutes

A 110-minute set from James Blunt had the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena totally sold from the get go, as his distinctive tone rang out across the stadium.

For a born entertainer who has been touring for the past year and three quarters, his passion and enthusiasm remain surprisingly fresh and infectious.

That, in itself, is quite something.

Dressed casually in jeans, t-shirt, leather jacket and trainers, he looks super fit and moves about the stage with the agility of a man half his age. He is now 51.

At one point, he even runs deep into the crowd, stopping to hug one admirer and high fiving others.

In short, he feeds off the audience, which, in turn, gives the guy with a signature falsetto no shortage of love.

And throughout the show he is gesticulating to and cajoling those seated throughout the arena, cementing involvement.

Before this is over, he will have everyone on their feet.

This concert celebrates the 20^th anniversary of the popular crooner’s inaugural album, Back to Bedlam.

With sales now exceeding 14 million, upon its release, it became the best-selling debut album by a British artist in the UK.

It also took the mantle of the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK and was lauded globally, including in Australia, where it went eight times Platinum.

Taking to the stage with an accomplished four-piece band, Blunt started with a bang, as he set about performing the album in its entirety, beginning with the singles.

So, out of the gate, he delivered with High, followed by his megahit You’re Beautiful, Wise Men and Goodbye My Lover (his second biggest seller of all time).

It was only after this quartet that he formally welcomed all comers, in the process revealing his cheeky and ribald sense of humour.

He acknowledged that he and his band – Paul Sayer on guitar, John Garrison on bass, Chris Pemberton on keys and Asger Møller behind the drums – were on the home stretch. This was one of their final gigs.

Then he posed three important questions.

Who in the venue bought the Back to Bedlam album back in 2005? These are the people who helped bring him fame and fortune.

Who was forced to listen to the tracks by their parents? They are Blunt’s future. 

And who was dragged to the concert by their wives or girlfriends? He said payback could put a smile on their faces.

Loved all this. Great icebreakers, not that they were needed.

Then, for the rest of the concert, he thrusted and parried with the audience, who were wedded to his every move.

Blunt is equally adept on guitar and piano, and there were many opportunities for him to tickle the ivories with aplomb.

After rolling out the other tunes on the Back to Bedlam album, he turned to more of his back catalogue.

That included several of his top songs on Spotify, including Bonfire Heart, 1973, Monsters, Carry You Home and Same Mistake.

Billy was his very broke best friend and Blunt relayed the audacious back story to that number.

No Bravery is arguably his most poignant song. In this case, it was accompanied by home video footage. Blunt served as a British Army officer in Kosovo in 1999. War, and the scars it leaves – today and then – are never pretty.

There is a great deal of emotional resonance too in the ballad Monsters, about he and his father, again accompanied by moving imagery.   

For much of the show, the giant video screen that dominates the back of the stage is resplendent with colourful, evocative patterns and shapes.

Two smaller screens, either side of the stage, hone in on Blunt (and, from time to time, band members), usually guitar in hand.

By the time he and the band had bid their farewell, I was left in no doubt that they had given their all.

James Blunt is a fine artist, with a rich repertoire, whose popularity is enduring, only enhanced by the strength of his live performances.

His next concerts are at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 28^th October and at RAC Arena in Perth on 30^th October, 2025.

For more information and to buy tickets, go to https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=JAMESBLU25