Grammy-nominated soul singer Mayer Hawthorne brought a little funk to town at the Boulder Theater Monday night.
The concert was free for CU students to attend, put on by the Yahoo! On the Road college tour.
The Michigan native had the crowd vibing along to many songs from his recent album, “Where Does This Door Go,” including his single with Kendrick Lamar, “Crime.”
Hawthorne smoothly integrated soulful music with old-school rock and rap lyrics from songs such as KRS-One’s “Sound of Da Police” at the end of “Crime” and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” at the beginning of “The Walk,” during which he played the guitar and sang.
Hawthorne wooed the audience for an hour with his usual Motown-influenced songs about love and heartbreak against a backdrop of a broken heart while throwing Hershey Kisses into the crowd.
He switched between singing, playing the guitar and playing the drums during “Allie Jones,” “Just Ain’t Gonna Work” and “Back Seat Lover.”
Hawthorne and his musicians achieved extremely smooth transitions between every song, mixing his songs and instrumental sequences — from band members and Hawthorne himself — to make grand live transitions.
After a vibrant and romantic set, Hawthorne and his band returned for an equally thrilling encore.
Finishing off strong with the entire crowd dancing, Mayer Hawthorne completed his show with the crowd-pleaser “Her Favorite Song.” Although the set could have used more audience interaction, it was electrifying nonetheless.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Bethlehem Feleke at Bethlehem. Feleke@Colorado.edu
