Fans rarely get to see the life behind the curtain of their favorite artist, but Colbie Caillat opened up to her fans at Ohio University on Friday.
Drawing from old fan-favorite songs while also giving the audience a taste of her fall album, Caillat mixed her performances with talk of her life experiences and advice for her young fans.
She played for a modest crowd of 1,235 at Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, said Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Campus Involvement Center.
“I liked the new songs, especially the one where she sang about tomorrow,” said Christina DeGraw, a junior at Athens High School.
The song “Like Tomorrow Never Comes” had a tropical-island feel and ended with a synchronized mambo dance by the band.
Caillat highlighted two additional songs as well: “Cruisin’ ” and an unnamed song. Caillat explained onstage that she wrote “Cruisin’ ” on a beach with Jason Reeves, her longtime songwriting partner. She said the song was largely inspired by watching little kids run naked on the beach.
“We saw the babies, and I was so jealous because I want to be those kids, naked running around on the beach,” Caillat said. “I want to be a kid again.”
She was joined by Noah Gundersen, who opened the show with the rest of his family band. Gundersen played a slew of sad singer-songwriter songs that starkly contrasted the upbeat pop Caillat plays. Gunderson recognized the contrast and made several jokes onstage.
Though some members of the audience were not familiar with the musician, many quickly became fans after hearing his work.
“I looked him up before I came, and I thought he was really good, but seeing him live was amazing,” said Logan Black, a senior at the University of Rio Grande. “I wasn’t expecting that kind of quality.”
Caillat candidly spoke to the audience, giving advice about love and helping friends in life. She said “Shadow” was written about a friend who was dating a guy who wasn’t right for her and had mistreated her.
“It’s better to be alone than with someone you don’t deserve, because you could be missing out on that one person that is right for you,” Caillat said. “Never settle.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
