"Maybe half an hour," growled the doorman before eventually letting me in.
"It could be anything from one minute to twenty," intimated the ticket girl.
Things, as you can see, were clearly not going to plan. Every (would be) hack has such a moment. This was due in part to a prior commitment for these very pages. But the delay was further compounded by a gleeful bunch of Shoreditch t***s who sent me on a goose chase across the East End.
I guess I could have made it up. But that would have been unprofessional, and more importantly, unfair to James Blunt who had candidly entertained musicOMH.com 48 hours earlier.
So Long Jimmy was the first of four songs I managed to see. I know, pathetic. Still, despite arriving despicably late, it wasn't difficult to gauge how Blunt had been fairing. His sweat strewn face was dictated by a wide smile which was matched by his backing band, who embarked on a sweet jam on this ode to Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.
You're Beautiful was seductively delivered, displaying just how good Blunt's voice is. He had admitted to me that he was still on a fine learning curve, especially with projection. It was honed pretty much to perfection this evening, and much more controlled than on CD where Blunt had at times wielded the high notes carelessly.
The infectious new single Wiseman wrapped things up with just as much power as on Back to Bedlam. Young women zipped past my shoulder collectively exclaiming 'wonderful, brilliant, amazing'. But they could have joined the queue which had developed in the next door bar. One by one, Blunt accepted the plaudits of fans - old and newly won - it has to be said.
The talkers at the back were louder than last week (this the second of a three-night Wednesday residency), said Blunt as he reflected on the evening as an all round good one. Goodbye My Lover stood out as the 'moment', he added, as he suggested I see one of the shows for his February tour. I concurred and left him to one of his legion of female adorers.
I've been to some great gigs. I've been to many painfully appalling ones. Showing up late can immediately leave you out of touch with the show. But tonight I still felt engaged even if it was to see Blunt hit the final furlong; he did so by wiping the floor of many a band on many a dire night.
