As I live in London, I don’t really keep up with American reality TV shows, so while I knew Justin Guarini was the runner-up on the very first season of American Idol, I had no preconceived notion of who I was to see. I didn’t even get a song list, so I settled into my seat to see what the evening had in store.

Tonight’s show followed Guarini’s career from just prior to his Idol fame and thereafter to Broadway, and was his first solo show.  He started off with “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” telling us how he’d f***ed up the lyrics in front of 30 million people on TV, and how he saved himself by rhyming “Savannah” with “Alabama.”  That more or less set the tone of what we were to learn about Guarini along the way.

I have to admit, this was an incredibly disappointing evening. The biggest problem was the sound. In fact, it was a huge problem.  Guarini was backed by piano/keyboard (yes, both), electric guitar, electric bass, drums and two back-up vocalists.  It’s as if he were expecting to fill a stadium, rather than the small space at Joe’s Pub.  The balance was simply horrible and there was far too much music.  As I look at my notes, I have written in caps TOO MUCH MUSIC/CAN’T HEAR VOCALS six times for eleven songs.  The sound issue was so pervasive, I began to wonder if they were trying to cover up his voice.  His back-up vocalists did him no favors whatsoever, and were out of tune more often than not.  To top it all off, there was a fan, or something, running in the room, so that during even quiet moments of chat or song, the whirr was very annoying.  I’d gone to hear a vocalist, and really couldn’t.

Guarini has a very engaging personality, a killer smile and is a good-looking guy, so audiences are drawn in.  I could hear that he has a very soulful voice, and there was the odd moment of magic, particularly when he did a high riff in “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” but there wasn’t one vocal that blew me away, primarily because it was so frustratingly difficult to hear him with everything else that was going on on stage.  He’s a gifted guitarist, too, and some quiet moments of just him and acoustic instruments would not have gone amiss.  Come to think of it, perhaps the sound issues were due to the “electric-ness” of the music.

Given the importance placed on the others, it was quite surprising that Guarini didn’t once introduce a band member to the audience.  At the end of his show, he asked us to give a round of applause for a nameless “amazing band.”

I would have really liked to have an evening of Guarini’s voice, so that I could actually HEAR it.  Hopefully, if he returns for another solo show, he will allow his voice to shine, and cut out all the distractions around him.

Harold Sanditen
Cabaret Scenes
June 2, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org