Paolo Nutini

went to see Paolo Nutini last night in Boston at the Paradise Club. What an interesting kid. While I find that sometimes, the smaller venues are the best way to see an artist because you can actually see them, I am not a fan of standing around for 4 hours in a mass of people who inevitably smell, behind the really tall dude who can't stand still so I look like a really bad dancer bouncing around behind him. And then there are those people that, even though you are standing 3 inches from the person in front of you, somehow manage to slide in between you so you're practically eating their hair. Then they proceed to bob and weave behind the tall guy so now it's a sea of people bobbing and weaving behind the really tall guy. I love the people that think they are the biggest fan ever and sing at the top of their lungs to every song. Because that's what I paid to see, some jackass who can't sing overpowering the fantastic talent on the stage. But whatever! It's all part of the experience. And Paolo Nutini was amazing. He kind of freaked me out at first, though. He came on stage, quite a small Italian lad from Scotland. He grabbed the mic and started singing but he refused to look up. He kind of hunched over and sang to the floor. And at moments, his mouth contorted into shapes and sizes I didn't think possible. But what was clearly evident was his passion for what he was doing, he sang beautifully and emotionally. As the night wore on, he got more comfortable, but he definitely seemed unsure of himself, a 20 year old from Scotland playing a club in Boston. It reminded me of how Jim Morrison started off singing with his back to the audience because of his insecurity. I will say this, when Nutini smiled at the crowd, it just made you want pinch his cheek and tell him how cute he was. The tricky part was when he spoke. Couldn't understand a word he was saying. Now, I've heard Scottish people before and completely understood them. But throw a shy kid on stage with a couple hundred talking people and a crappy sound system, and you've got the makings of complete incoherence. At one point, I looked at one of the people I was with and said, "The next song is called love?" and she looked at me and said, "I heard so many pretty faces." Not even close! He did, at one moment, say that he doesn't talk much because we can't understand a word he says anyway. That was pretty much the only thing I did understand. But experience on the stage comes with time and he'll get there. He was amazing and beautiful and I highly recommend everyone go out and buy his CD. My favorite tracks are Last Request, Jenny Don't Be Hasty and New Shoes. Download it!