Kiefer Sutherland at The Leadmill. Picture: Scott Antcliffe
On Monday evening, Americana music fans were certainly had a treat for Halloween when movie megastar Kiefer Sutherland graced the iconic Leadmill stage and played a 19-song set to a vocal, appreciative crowd.
This was a gig that I had particularly circled on the calendar as someone born in the 80s, his classic films Lost Boys, Stand By Me and Young Guns were ever present in our house when I was growing up.
A great support in the form of Fine Lines, a five-piece country rock band from Cheshire perfectly set the tone for what was to follow. Forget About You and Stay were two songs that were extremely well received in their seven-song set.
Kiefer Sutherland at The Leadmill. Picture: Scott Antcliffe
Kiefer Sutherland at The Leadmill. Picture: Scott Antcliffe
Kiefer then came on stage to a rapturous applause and kicked things off with the upbeat Ole’ Lonely Life, Can’t Stay Away and Chasing The Rain – also the name of the tour which will see Sutherland take in twelve UK shows.
A natural, charismatic storyteller, Sutherland would often introduce songs with a little anecdotal backstory. One of these – Bloor Street – the road in Toronto, Canada where he grew up, was extremely well received. This is also the name of his third and most recent album that was released earlier this year.
Other popular songs included; Going Down, Blame it on Your Heart, County Jail Gate and Set Me Free. Every couple of songs, an appreciative Sutherland took time to offer his heartfelt thanks for the fan support during his relatively short musical journey. You could genuinely tell he loved performing on stage.
Sutherland covered two songs by the late, great Tom Petty; Ways To Be Wicked and a raucous, rocking version of Honey Bee. A subtle node to one of his musical inspirations.
Sutherland, an accomplished guitarist in his own right, was supported by two exceptional guitarists- Marc Ford and Doug Pettibone – the latter has toured with the likes of John Mayer, Norah Jones and Tracy Chapman.
Sutherland returned to the stage for a two-song encore – Friday Night and Agave rounded off a superb night. An artist with a great voice, impressive lyricism and performs with boundless energy and enthusiasm – he certainly has an aptitude for music to equal his acting ability.