The sold-out run of New York shows sees Puth playing his songs the way he always wanted them to be heard
Charlie Puth emerged from the staircase leading to the gift shop at Blue Note Jazz in NYC shortly after 11 pm on Saturday (Sept 27th). This was the second set of the night for his jazz-inspired underplay at the storied New York venue.
Puth sat at a red leather-enveloped Rhodes keyboard, clad in a plain black T-shirt. “We’re doing these songs the way they were originally meant to be played, the way I wrote them,” he told the crowd. Puth packed the tiny stage with seven musicians. No room for the eight to move, they stayed sat for the set.
Puth’s second song of the night, “Boy,” is perfectly emblematic of the music as presented at this show. His crystal-clear soprano vocals with falsetto runs over an R&B instrumentation that melts perfectly into a jazzy break. Puth was conducting his band equally with his hands as with his face. If they surprised him, he’d scrunch up in shock before beaming a smile glistening strongly enough to reach space.
Charlie’s voice was immaculate. The Travis Kelce-sized dude I was smooshed leg-to-leg with leaned over during “Attention” and said, “He sounds the exact same as the record. It’s amazing.” And it was. There’s a purity to Puth’s pipes that must be experienced sans the typical production of a pop record. He alluded several times throughout the night that this may be exactly the point of this intimate experience.
Nor having to worry about being matchy-matchy, an album is freeing. Apparently, so is being in a jazz club. There were many times that Puth and his three background vocalists improved over the instrumental breaks. After one particular run of “ba ba ba’s,” he said, “We just made that up right now. Aren’t they fucking amazing?” Answer: Yes.
This being a special event in the Big Apple, it was ripe for a surprise guest. Broadway star Anthony Ramos popped up to duet with Puth on the Stevie Wonder-penned “Ribbon in the Sky.” It was awesome to see the mutual respect between the two, and they harmonized beautifully.
Near the end of the show, he played one of his biggest hits, which he said, “Happy to sing for the rest of my life.” “See You Again”, which has defined his career, being the kind of song that tugs at every fiber of your emotions. Puth described his songwriting thusly—in a sentiment that also described this night of music that sailed us early into tomorrow: “Lead with your heart and go with your gut.”
