James Bay at the Beacon Theatre

In Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, an 11-year-old James Bay heard Derek & the Dominos' "Layla" and decided to learn to play music, starting with a rusty guitar with five strings he found in a cupboard in his house. As an 18-year-old enrolled in a music institute in Brighton, he started a music career by playing the city's open mic nights. He released an EP in 2013 and within a year he was selling out his first headline tour in the United Kingdom. Both his 2015 debut album, Chaos and the Calm, and his single "Hold Back The River" were certified double platinum in Great Britain. Bay received two Brit Awards -- the Critics' Choice in 2015 and Best British Male Solo Artist in 2016. He released his second studio album, Electric Light, on May 18, 2018.

After the last performance of James Bay's spring 2018 tour in North America, Bay was scheduled to play summer festivals and resume a theater tour in September 2018. No reason was provided, but those fall dates were postponed; Bay's two nights at the Beacon Theatre finally occurred this week.  Backed by a basic ensemble (guitar, keyboards, bass and drums), Bay's arrangements wrapped around a simplicity that made the rhythm & blues-influenced pop songs feel honest and immediate. A sense of longing and inner struggle saturated Bay's soulful vocals, yet the spirited accompaniment kept the delivery sunny and optimistic. Bay balanced his pensive lyrics with stinging guitar licks, and the band propelled the music with rocking backup. Built on well-crafted songs, authenticated with passionate singing and ignited with energetic combustion, Bay and his band performed a lively concert that satisfied both the moodies and the rockers.

Setlist:

1. Pink Lemonade
2. Craving
3. Just for Tonight
4. If You Ever Want to Be in Love
5. Wild Love
6. Peer Pressure
7. Us
8. Fade Out
9. Let It Go
10. When We Were on Fire
11. Move Together
12. Get Out While You Can
13. Best Fake Smile

Encore:

1. Bad
2. Come Together (The Beatles cover)
3. Hold Back the River