Concert Review: Jess Glynne Headlines Terminal 5 with Opener Abir

Jess Glynne delivered a powerful, tightly-rehearsed set of hits to a sardine-packed Terminal 5 on Tuesday night.

If you’re not already a fan of this British singer and songwriter, you might recognize her powerful driving vocals on Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be.” Or maybe you’ve heard a single from her latest album “Always In Between,” which debuted at number one in the UK. Her music has broad appeal and floats between pop, EDM, R&B, and funk. That mix that makes for an effortlessly energized live sound.

Glynne’s songs are at their best when they rely more heavily on funk and R&B themes (“Hold My Hand” and “123” come to mind). Given her lineup of drums, guitar, bass, keys, and a three-person back-up choir, Glynne is aware of this. The back-up vocalists elevated every song, recreating the rich studio sound of the songwriter’s most popular hits. Glynne’s vocal performance stood out as well. She doesn’t lose an inch of her carefully calibrated vibrato or belting prowess from studio to stage.

Jess Glynn – Courtesy of William Murray

Collaboration and gratitude stood out as the performance’s main themes. Glynne brought her back-up vocalists center stage to sing alongside her, passing the spotlight to them entirely in several instances. She reached out to the audience with open arms, inviting us to be part of the performance.

Abir, the evening’s opener, rivaled Glynne in powerhouse vocals and instrumental creativity. The Morrocco-born soul-funk songwriter performed alongside a guitar, keyboard, and saxophone. They played off Abir’s every line with their own solos and flourishes. There were a lot of moving parts, but to my delight, it never sounded too crowded.

Abir ended her set with a heartfelt rendition of “Finest Hour,” a shout-at-the-sky ballad about resilience. Whether or not the audience had heard this collaboration between Cash Cash and Abir before, we were singing with her by the end.

Abir – Courtesy of William Murray

Glynne left us inspired as well, closing her encore performance with the gospel-influenced fan favorite “I’ll Be There.” The audience didn’t seem ready for the concert to end and cheered for several minutes after Glynne left the stage for the night.

As we squeezed out of Terminal 5 onto West 56^th street, a gaggle of young men kept the show going with a boisterous rendition of “All I Am”:

“All I know and all I am is you!”