Wednesday 17th March 2010 @ Colston Hall, Bristol

To the typical gig fanatic, the words “Sold Out” can only mean one thing…he’s good. Making his fame through a series of YouTube videos, Andy McKee is now considered a legend in the vast world of guitar virtuosos and the sheer power of his live performances explained why I felt myself being pressed from all sides by eager fans waiting for his arrival.

As the casually dressed fellow sauntered onto the stage, the hall erupted into a thunderous cheer. He picked up his acoustic 6-string and smashed straight into Tight Trite Night which showed off his staggering technical abilities with a heavily syncopated rhythm being merged into jazzy chord progressions. After each piece, Andy spend a minute tuning his guitar into a completely different tuning whilst engaging in comical banter with the audience. His stage presence had the audience stood there like obedient school children and one could not help but laugh at his cheeky expressions between songs.

After a brief intermission, the famous Drifting exploded into the audience with a flurry of intricate percussive melody and the passion and expression in which it was played complemented the powerful feeling of the piece. The piece Rylynn which was dedicated to the sad death of Andy’s friend’s daughter can only be described as heart warming, sad and yet loving. Many a sniff was heard and some grown men were to be seen discreetly wiping away a tear.

The set as a whole was an emotional rollercoaster with an incredible range of moods and at one point, Andy expressed his love for 80s music with an arrangement of Tears For Fears and even burst into Smoke On The Water during one chorus in the encore. The night celebrated a truly amazing man and I find it impossible to sum up the unique musical force he possesses. There was a reason why this show was sold out and one can only pray that he returns next year.

www.andymckee.com

Thomas Dunn