All is definitely well with Jesse McCartney- the prolific pop singer sold out the penultimate stop of his headlining tour at The Van Buren last week. The All’s Well Tour had a massively successful run across the country and McCartney was all smiles as he serenaded his fans with new music and all the classics.
Indie pop singer Lorelei Marcell opened the show, serving ethereal vocals and a charming personality that absolutely won the room. She pulled songs from this year’s Dear Conformity and used her stage time to truly relate to those watching the set. The audience was more than willing to get involved and cheered loudly for more at the end of her performance.
There’s plenty of nostalgia to go around with so many album anniversaries and milestones this year, but Jesse McCartney has never left the musical sphere. This tour focused heavily on his recent releases and the new songs garnered just as much enthusiasm as his throwback hits. The stage was set and McCartney emerged- full band in tow- to rock the mic on “Silver Spoon” and “She’s No You”- the perfect juxtaposition of new and older material.
McCartney is a dynamic performer; throwing his mic stand around, dancing smoothly across the stage and cocking his eyebrows at the front row to make them laugh while singing along. The whole room was all smiles throughout songs like “Right Where You Want Me” and “Shake” and let the love overflow on “Yours” and “Tie the Knot”.
The middle of the set was dedicated to McCartney’s piano skills as he tickled the ivories on “Just So You Know” and “Wasted”. Like many artists this year, McCartney was also overtaken by Sabrina Carpenter madness and covered “Please Please Please” to the delight of the fans.
In a move reminiscent of the mid-2000s, McCartney went looking for one lucky fan to bring onstage for a personal serenade on “Party for Two” that had the whole room shrieking at the fun and flirty energy. He also reminded everyone of his songwriting prowess, adding a cover of Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love”- co-written with Ryan Tedder.
The party continued with “Body Language” and “Leavin’” to make sure everyone got out all of their energy at the end of the night before closing out the main set with “Better With You”. McCartney spoke to the audience many times throughout the night, reminiscing on his past work while also expressing excitement for all of his new music as well.
The crowd wasn’t letting him leave, however, and they called him back for an encore of “Beautiful Soul”- a song that holds up incredibly well after 20 years in rotation. Rather than completely focusing on the nostalgia of the past, McCartney took this tour to celebrate where he’s been and where he continues to go with his sound- and we’re very much looking forward to the next step in his musical journey.
