Gavin DeGraw at Queen Elizabeth Theatre – April 9, 2014

For the past year, acclaimed contemporary artist Gavin DeGraw has been on the road building anticipation for his headlining spring tour. DeGraw rose to fame in early 2000, with hits like “Chariot” and “I Don’t Wanna Be” (the theme song for One Tree Hill). With the release of his fifth studio album, Make A Move, DeGraw celebrated his fourth Top 20 appearance on the Billboard charts. With his folky vibe and soulful voice, Make A Move Tour is guarantee to win the hearts of concert goers this season.

Opening for DeGraw was Adam Levine’s protégé, Rozzi Crane. This rising starlet has a voice like Jessie J but dances like Lorde. Despite the weird combination, her powerhouse voice will be a hit on mainstream radio. Following Rozzi was co-headliner, Parachute. It seems like forever ago since Parachute has been in Toronto, but you would not think so due to the loving reception they received from the fans. They played an incredible seven – song set, which included oldies like “She Is Love” and “Kiss Me Slowly” along with tracks from their new album, Overnight. For the older crowd in attendance, they covered Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” which everyone sang and danced along too. Their set ended on a high note with fan-favorite “Something To Believe In”

It was time for DeGraw to hit the stage, and if you have seen his live shows, you know he always brings the goods. He displayed a mixture of energy, passion, and charisma while playing a mixture of new and old stuff (“Make A Move”, “Soldier”, “Follow Through”). DeGraw loves when the crowd sings to him, which his fans did for most of the night especially when he performed his popular hits like “I Don’t Wanna Be” and “Not Over You”.

Halfway through the show, DeGraw shared a heartfelt story about when he decided to become a musician. The realization came after seeing his idol Billy Joel in concert. On the way home, he told his parents about his epiphany. His dad turned to him and says “then that’s what you’ll do”. DeGraw wanted his fans to believe their dreams can come true and with that, DeGraw announces he will opening for Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden next week. In honour of the occasion, he played a remarkable cover of “She’s Always A Women” followed by his rendition of Adele’s “Rumor Has It”.

Everyone at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre got the whole package with this tour. Not only is DeGraw a skilled pianist and vocalist, he and his band are great entertainers who managed to interact with the audience throughout the evening. It was the concert that every music fan ought to experience. As promised, Gavin Degraw and his band will be back in July for his tour with Matt Nathanson.

Thanks to Live Nation for media access.