Being one of the lucky supporters who were invited to Ramin Karimloo’s special “Thank you gig” I found myself inside venue 2 of 229 The Venue on March 19th 2012.
Announced on both Facebook and Twitter this gig was Ramin’s way to thank his fans for sticking with him over the last years and for bearing with the changes in the release date of his debut album (which was originally meant to be out in January and will now finally be released on April 9).
As a supporter of Ramin and his work you will probably agree with me: We don’t need any special thank you gestures from him. Ramin has always been beyond generous when it comes to his fans. However, who would say no to an invitation to a free gig from the man himself?
Having playede lead roles in shows like Phantom of the Opera, Love never dies and lately Les Miserables Ramin Karimloo is a well known theatre performer. With his debut album “Ramin” he is now embarking on a journey as a recording artist. His first solo tour will take him around the UK in May and to North America in September (more dates to be announced) That in mind this gig provided a good opportunity to test out some material in front of a live audience.
The evening started with the up-tempo song „Broken home” from Ramin’s upcoming album which got the audience in just the right mood for what was to come.
Next up were two Sheytoons songs: “Losing” and “Broken”. For all of you that don’t know who Sheytoons are: It’s the band Ramin has formed with his friend Hadley Fraser. Please make sure to check them out if you haven’t done so already. Hadley couldn’t be at the gig as he was – as Ramin put it – “holding the fort at the barricades” but Ramin certainly did Sheytoons proud nonetheless. Both him and Hadley must be tired of this question but: When do we get another Sheytoons gig?
The audience then was treated to a simply beautiful cover of the Muse song “Guiding Light” followed by “
“Murder in the city” (by the Avett Brothers) was up next. I haven’t given this band much notice so far but Ramin has really managed to get me interested in their songs which are beautifully written.
Ramin continued with a so far untitled new song which I really enjoyed listening to and that will hopefully be included in future gigs as well.
The night ended with a cover of the beautifully melancholic “Raining in Baltimore” (Counting Crows) and “Good Riddance” (Green Day). The latter rounded up the evening perfectly – I’m sure everyone in the room definitely had the time of their lives.
This whole concert showed that Ramin Karimloo is not only one of the leading men in London’s West End but an all around talented and diverse singer. As much as I love to hear him perform musical theatre songs it was refreshing to listen to him sing anything but that. There is so much more to Ramin than “just” musicals and I’m excited to see where the future is going to take him.
I know this gig was a thank you from Ramin to his fans but I do want to say that I myself am hugely thankful to have been part of this very special evening. So I’d like to thank Ramin and his awesome band for providing everyone with such an entertaining, fun and simply amazing concert that I’m sure every single member of the audience will cherish.
Please check out http://www.raminofficial.com for info on Ramin Karimloo and his upcoming tour dates.
And don’t forget to buy his debut album “Ramin” which is out on April 9 2012: http://www.raminofficial.com/gb/releases/entry/ramin/
A big thank you to Anne Stern for letting me use her fantastic shots from the concert!
confessionsofatheatregirl 
Thank you for letting us share this special evening through your ears and the detailed song list!
Ah, I did really have the time of my life that night.. I’m so glad that I got to be there!