Concert Review: Cameron Avery Is Love At Mercury Lounge

I’m in love with Cameron Avery…. not going to lie! The intimacy of Mercury Lounge, and being a late show, brought out an ease and playfulness to Avery that has me “stanning” him for life. Everyone knows I am a HUGE Tame Impala fan, but Cameron Avery’s bluesy, rock n’ roll style is far from this band’s persona. Instead, he has modernized a “rat-pack” vibe of just “a guy” who loves music, and, if you want, can love you too.

Alone with his guitar and piano with blue-hued lights dimmed over him, Avery took suggestions from the crowd, and laughed at the palpable closeness between him and viewers. Mercury Lounge, though legendary, is not big, and an audience can feel so close to the stage that they, themselves, might as well perform. In some ways, that vibe is what made Cameron Avery’s performance, last night, so wonderful and dynamic. The audience became as friendly with each other as they did with him, and Mercury Lounge felt more like a holiday dinner amongst friends. He cracked jokes with the audience that cracked it right back, and his smile lit up with a genuine glee. Though his music and, even his conversation, can be about how he feels he fails at love, Avery appeared as love itself. There are moments when you feel love and there are moments when you become it, and Avery’s charm and soulful voice made him become Love, in essence. “Dance With Me”, “Wasted In Fidelity”, and a heart-breaking, piano rendition of “She Meant Everything To Me” highlighted that Cameron Avery is all of us when it comes to love. This virtue is the thing we most want in life, but then, to actually receive it in the form of a relationship, makes us cower to our own desire and vulnerability. With how raw his vocals can sound, especially over a simple, piano key, everyone realized the truth: love is scary because it shows you that you need to get better, which is not easy. Only feeling good can reveal to you how much you need to do to heal the bad.

I might have been drunk on the love and close aura between Avery and the crowd, but something about this performance elaborated the depth and heart he puts into his music. This is a man that sees love and want her to be seen in sound, and there is something magical to that idea, even if not new. Everyone wants love to grace their music, but Avery reveals that, for that to happen, she has to grace your life, especially in performance. For More Information on Cameron Avery Click Here.