A Taste of Paradise with Christian Lee Hutson
Article by Natalie Silva
An early stop on Christian Lee Hutson’s North American tour, Chicago proved a wonderful host of the singer-songwriter, debuting many songs off of his newest album “Paradise Pop. 10”. Touring with Odessa Jorgensen on violin and opener Allegra Krieger, the night was full of artistry and admiration. A show that revealed the beauty of community, attendees of Lincoln Hall were brought together by music and more at this wonderful performance.
Allegra Krieger took the stage in a graceful and nonchalant manner. Sticking to one side of the stage, she needed no more than her guitar and voice to wow the crowd. With minimal discussion before, after, and in between songs, Allegra let her music be the focus of her set, and she played through a number of songs from her large discography. Favorites included “Lingering” and “Came”. With lyrics that often focus on real world problems and topics, the audience had no trouble relating to her music. A gentle sway of the crowd could be seen as Allegra floated through her set and wrapped up with thanks to the city and her touring buddy. For fans of artists such as Faye Webster and Babehoven, Allegra Krieger is sure to be one of your new favorite acts.
The star of the show, Christian Lee Hutson, captivated the crowd instantly with his chatty personality and incredible live performance skills. Raw and intimate, the acoustic set was composed of just Christian and his violinist Odessa. Though he was quite humble and would preface many of his songs with “I might mess up,” Christian Lee Hutson is a well-oiled machine. If there were any mistakes made it was impossible to tell. His lyrics are artfully crafted though in little asides to the audience he attributed much of this creativity to hits from a “special pen”. This fun fact did not take away from the heavy hitting lyrics in songs like “Seven Lakes”, where he sings “I hope you catch a break/Oldest daughter”. Many aspects of Christian’s lyrics could also be seen in his backdrop, which depicted a map of locations that can be heard in his songs. The mood was further set with a small dim lamp positioned between the duo, which created a warm and soft environment for the music to grow in.
Christian paid homage to the devastating fires in L.A., and while he used humor to lighten the mood, you could see his fear and care for his former home. He went on to talk about everything under the sun, and seemed to love the crowd interaction. He was always asking for questions and comments, and was quick to bring up past jokes as the night progressed. Christian went on to play “Water Ballet” off of his album “Paradise Pop. 10”, which was released just a few months ago. The audience was also fond of his performances of “Northsiders” and “Atheist,” which gives Chicago a little lyrical shoutout. With the middle of the set being paused for an audience member’s medical emergency, the crowd took a few minutes to be silent and pay their respect to the individual in need. It seemed nobody knew the right thing to say to resume the concert, but Christian handled it with poise, and thanked the crowd for their aid and camaraderie. The set kept on, and Christian played a few more songs before introducing the encore. He closed the night with a lovely performance of “Skeleton Crew”, and the crowd cheered sending him off. United by love for Christian Lee Hutson and his music, this night at Lincoln Hall was one to remember, together.
You can listen to Christian Lee Hutson here.