LIVE: JONATHAN ANTOINE – December 23, 2021

Venue: Duke Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater

City: St. Petersburg, FL

Dates: December 23, 2021

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

There are some show you know you have to attend from the first moment you hear about them.  There are others you figure it might be worthwhile seeing.  There are also shows that you weren’t sure about but find yourself digging the evening with each song that makes its way through a venues sound system.  I am not one to jump up and down about Christmas music or tours, but having recently witnessed Sarah Brightman’s recent tour swing, I wanted to give Britain’s Got Talent’s Jonathan Antoine take a crack at Christmas and American audiences.  I was able to land a seat and camera position for the final stop on Antoine’s 2021 Christmas Land Live tour when we landed in St. Petersburg.  After the first of four piano interludes in the evening, Jonathan took his place center stage and jumped both feet into Christmas with a great rendition of “Winter Wonderland.”  We were off and running into a track that lead a two-track holiday offering with the Cohen classic “Hallelujah” paired with the Italian “Caro Jesu Bambino.”  There was plenty of banter between specific selections over the course of the show.  Antoine quickly introduced “The Prayer” before taking a brief break during the second piano interlude.  The breaks were enough to keep you the audience engaged while waiting for more from the man of the evening.  Another Italian track lead the way before the one-two punch of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” was aligned with “How Great Thou Art” to close out the first set.  The second set kicked in quickly after a brief intermission and piano interlude with a different take on the John Denver penned “Country Roads” that shifted into “These Are Special Times.”  The Christmas mashup of “Little Drummer Boy” and “Peace On Earth” was a great listen before the final piano interlude of the night cascaded through the evening.  Another Italian classic sprung into the evening’s set before the final run of numbers came to fruition with “Volare” and “O Holy Night” along with more story and banter from Antoine.  After finishing up the set, he proceeded to grace us with one more track – “Nessun Dorma” before leaving the stage and sending us all into the night.  Thank you Jonathan for giving us each an opportunity to add a pupil and wish to the evening with you.  If you know, you know.

Setlist: Winter Wonderland – Hallelujah – Caro Jesu Bambino – The Prayer – E Lucevan Le Stelle – I’ll Be Home For Christmas – How Great Thou Art – Country Roads – These Are Special Times – Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth – Tu Scnedi Dalle Stelle – Volare – O Holy Night – Nessun Dorma

[Show as slideshow]

FULL SET OF JONATHAN ANTOINE PHOTOS HERE

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries