On Wednesdays, we wear blue – but only if Charlie Burg and the Blue Wave Band are in town. Making their Southeast Asia debut, the four-piece act delivered an enchanting performance at Singapore’s Esplanade Concert Hall on 29 November, as part of the Mosaic Music Series. Their charming and intimate set proved to be the perfect finale for their tour, which made our week truly memorable.
“Singapore, it’s been such a beautiful evening with you guys. You guys are incredible, seriously. This is one of the best shows we’ve ever played, thank you so much for being here,” the Michigan-born singer-songwriter said after he carried 18 tracks through the evening.
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Swinging from a stripped solo set to a heart-thumping presentation backed by the Blue Wave Band, we were brought into a whirlpool of emotions and versatile sonic landscapes that echoed within Esplanade’s “crown jewel”.
In a casual setting with minimal theatrics, Charlie Burg and the Blue Wave Band whisked us away with a strong opening of ‘Chicago (Take It Or Leave It)‘, the third track off his latest album Infinitely Tall. The album, which serves as a “rose-tinted paean to home”, tells the story of spaces across three chapters – Charlie’s childhood home in Detroit, his college house in Syracuse, and the vast expanses of New York City.
Although we were housed in an intimate space, it certainly felt like we were transported into a whole new world through Charlie’s perspective. As such, it was easy for us to lose all sense of time. Just within thirty minutes, Charlie brought us along ‘Episode III’, ‘Lancaster Nights’, ‘Instead of My Room’, ‘Lovesong (The Way)’, and ‘Letter from Last Summer’ from the moment he popped up on stage with touring band members Dan (guitar), Nate (bass), and Dom (drums).
@hiiqheb BRUH i was stunned into silence (ref: the last second of this video) #lovesong #charlieburg #singapore ♬ original sound - ^.^
Then, time slowed down as the R&B and indie rock act took the spotlight and serenaded us with a solo stripped set of ‘Bookstore Girl’ and ‘June’, which also called for an impromptu practice session for the latter after the crowd completely missed their cue for a verse. “You know we gotta run that back,” Charlie laughed before belting the lines again, “And I’m singing out ohh I want-”, and the crowd goes “I WANT!”. It’s these little candid moments that truly kept us connected with Charlie through the night. “So Singapore can sing huh,” he declared before resuming the solo line-up with ‘Intentions’ and ‘Blue Wave Blues’ upon crowd request. Just when Charlie filled the hall with the blues soundscapes of ‘Blue Wave Blues’ with his acoustic guitar, the stage lights seamlessly transitioned from a vivid emerald green to a deep azure which perfectly complemented the vibe.
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The rest of the show brought back the heart-thumping melodies by the Blue Wave Band, where they performed ‘Channel Orange In Your Living Room’ and ‘Callback’. While taking a short breather to sling over his electric guitar, Charlie said: “This is our last stop on tour. Last stop, best stop, am I right?”, before breaking into his latest single ‘Before We Step Inside’. Switching over to the ethereal cadence of his keyboard, Charlie executed ‘Leaves (Reboot)’, and ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Okay Without You’ quite flawlessly.
“Thank you so much for the kindest welcome for our first time in Singapore, we got one more song for you,” Charlie expressed his gratitude before concluding with ‘97 Avalon’. But of course, in any concert-goer's nature, a show wouldn’t be a show without the unified chant of “ONE MORE SONG” at the end of the set. After Charlie and the band left the stage for a brief moment, they swiftly returned for their encore tracks ‘Avalanche’ and ‘Dancing Through The Mental Breakdown’.
With all the sincere moments that we shared with Charlie and the Blue Wave Band, it’s safe to say that even after a week, we’re still grappling with post-concert depression. But on the bright side, now that we’re back to lugging our mid-week blues, it wouldn’t be as heavy since we’ll always have our newfound musical memories with Charlie planted in our minds.
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Check out the setlist for Charlie Burg and the Blue Wave Band in Singapore:
- Chicago (Take It Or Leave It)
- Episode III
- Lancaster Nights
- Instead of My Room
- Lovesong (The Way)
- Letter from Last Summer
- Bookstore Girl
- June
- Intentions
- Blue Wave Blues
- Channel Orange In Your Living Room
- Callback
- Before We Step Inside
- Leaves (Reboot)
- I Don’t Wanna Be Okay Without You
- 97 Avalon
- Avalanche (Encore)
- Dancing Through The Mental Breakdown (Encore)
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