Seal 'The Standards' Tour, Beacon Theater June 26, 2018
Photo credit: Sachyn Mital

Seal brought 'Standards' and his own hits to the Beacon Theatre (pics, setlist)

The shows on Seal‘s Standards tour have generally followed the same formula. The first half of the set is dedicated to his Standards album (released last November) and an eight piece orchestra is incorporated into the regular band. For the second half, Seal gives the audience a taste of his greatest hits. At the Beacon Theater on June 26, the formula was mostly the same. But Seal noted the show was a little different for him personally as he had a lot of friends in attendance as well as his two children. Going by a formula isn’t necessarily a bad thing. By the time Seal broke into his hits, the audience was on their feet and remained there for the rest of the show. I can only recall maybe one or two other shows at the Beacon where people stood for most of the show.

Seal’s incarnations of the standards were tasteful and satisfying. For “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” his voice had warmth and levity. Right after that song, an audience member proclaimed his love for Seal. Seal started to joke that this happens at nearly every show and in this instance it got him out of character for the next song, a more somber tune (“My Funny Valentine”) which included a strong trumpet solo.

A few songs later, after a quick dip backstage, Seal returned for his first hit of the night, his megahit from the Batman Forever soundtrack, “Kiss from a Rose,” with an extended intro that warmed the audience up to sing the “da-dah” part. And it wasn’t much long after that he had the audience on their feet. During “Prayer for the Dying,” he ventured into the aisles to forge a closer connection with the living.

For his finale, with the curfew imminent, Seal paid tribute to David Bowie with “Rebel Rebel” and changed up the show from other dates. He wrapped up with his original breakthrough hit, the nearly 30-year-old, “Crazy,” as the audience roared. Check out pics in the gallery above and his setlist and a few videos from the show, below.

Seal wraps up his US tour on the West Coast next month. All dates are listed below.

SETLIST: SEAL @ BEACON THEATRE 6/26/2018:
Luck Be a Lady (Frank Loesser)
I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins)
They Can’t Take That Away From Me (George Gershwin)
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) (Irma Thomas)
I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter)
My Funny Valentine (Rodgers & Hart)
It Was a Very Good Year (The Kingston Trio)
That’s Life (Marion Montgomery)
Kiss From a Rose
Whirlpool
Killer
Prayer for the Dying
Fly Like an Eagle (Steve Miller Band)
Move On Up (Curtis Mayfield)
Life On the Dance Floor
Rebel, Rebel (David Bowie)
Crazy

Seal – 2018 Tour Dates:
Jun 28 Salle Wilfred-Pelletier Theatre – Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal, Canada
Jul 15 Red Rocks Ampitheatre, Morrison, CO
Jul 18 Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA
Jul 19 Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
Jul 27 Gala de la Croix Rouge Monégasque – MCSSF, Monaco-ville, Monaco
Jul 28 Narbonne Jazz Festival, Narbonne, France
Sep 12 Washington State Fair, Puyallup, WA