Pop singer Tori Kelly opened her 2019 "The Acoustic Sessions" tour at Fox Tucson Theatre Monday night, which in itself is a pretty cool thing if you're a fan of the singer who won two Grammys two weeks ago.
But the really cool thing about Kelly's concert was that we also got to be the first to hear a whole bunch of new songs coming from the 26-year-old California singer.
Most artists like to sneak in a new song, sandwiching it between monster hits or under the din of applause so it blends seamlessly into the energy. If the crowd seems on board, they'll add a second new song, but rarely if ever do they go for a third.
But Tori Kelly's fans loosely filling the Fox were cheering her on — "Play a new song! Play another one!" — so she and her guitar buddy Mateus Asato pulled out a half dozen or so new songs. She sang about actors hiding behind characters to avoid the truths in their lives and how sorry would go a long way to mending a broken relationship. Her soft soprano took on a bluesy, soulful growl as she cautioned herself to be patient with love.
The audience clapped along, often out of rhythm, and cheered. One woman near the center of the theater kept screaming out song titles, as if Kelly was leading karaoke.
And in between the new and the older hit — "Pretty Fades," "Funny," "Kid I Used to Know" "Should've Been Us," "I Was Made for Loving You," "Dear No One," "Hollow" — she sang a couple gospel songs from the album that won her two Grammys: "Questions" and "Never Alone."
Some of the evening's biggest applause came when Kelly, who appeared in the animated movie "Sing," invited the audience to sing along to the movie's theme song "Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing."
Kelly's "The Acoustic Sessions" moves on to Tempe's Marquee Theatre on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
All those new songs Kelly road-tested on Tucson could make their way on her next studio album, which could be released late this year or early next year.
