Daley Brings the Soul to Ludlow Garage

Strange Nature Tour

I’ve seen Daley before. A couple of years ago, I caught him in Columbus for the first time, and let me tell you, he tore it up. So when I saw that he was coming back to Ohio, this time to Ludlow Garage in Cincinnati on September 20, I did not hesitate.

And once again, Daley reminded me exactly why.

My seat for the night was front row center, which was absolutely perfect because I was ready to take it all in.

Let’s just get this out of the way. Daley can sing. No, scratch that.

Daley can SANG.

What made the night even more impressive was finding out that he had been sick earlier that day. Daley told the audience that he had felt so bad at one point that he thought he might have to cancel the show.

You never would have known it.

His vocals were THERE….the mic was ON.

At one point, after he mentioned being sick, somebody in the audience yelled, “Sick where?”

Exactly! 😂

Because whatever he had been dealing with earlier in the day apparently did not get the memo that there was a show to do. Daley pushed through and gave us everything he had. Vocally, he was operating at about 1,000 percent.

I really appreciate artists who, when they are able, step on that stage and still give the audience everything they’ve got. Daley did exactly that.

A Little Something New

Daley started the evening with music from his new album, Strange Nature.

Thankfully, I had listened to some of the album while driving to Cincinnati because I wanted to at least familiarize myself with the new music before the show. And wouldn’t you know it, some of the songs I had already gravitated toward made their way into the evening’s setlist.

The album includes songs such as “Lavender,” “Slide,” “Sleepless,” “Falling Deep,” “Chemistry,” and “Headlights” which features Marsha Ambrosius on the recording.

And Then Came the Favorites

Of course, Daley wasn’t about to let us leave without taking us back. His earlier catalog includes favorites such as “Time Travel,” “Look Up,” “Broken,” “Love Somebody,” and “Alone Together”.

And between the music, Daley shared little stories and talked with the audience, which made the evening feel even more intimate.

We Didn’t Need a Packed House

Ludlow Garage wasn’t packed wall-to-wall that night. Did it matter? Not one bit.

Because if you had judged by the energy in that room, you would have thought every seat in the building was filled.

We enjoyed him. He enjoyed us.

And that exchange between artist and audience created exactly the kind of atmosphere I love at a live show. It was smooth. It was chill. It was intimate. Nobody needed all the extra bells and whistles.

The music was enough.

For me, this night was really about sitting back, enjoying the music and watching this man work from one of the best seats in the house.

And enjoy it I did.

Sometimes you walk out of a concert thinking, That was nice.  This wasn’t one of those nights.

I walked out thinking, When can I see him again?

Thank you, Daley, for a perfect Sunday evening.

You sang your face off.  And apparently you did it while sick.

Sick where, indeed? 😂