5 Trademarks of a Christian Lee Hutson Show

On his first official headlining tour and second date of the arduous 2 month outing, Christian Lee Hutson soothed the Turf Club last night. Admittedly feeling a bit odd due to an afternoon nap, Christian bantered, joked, and sung his way through the night. Having seen this gent open for multiple other artists through the years, these are the 5 standout trademarks that you can expect at a Christian Lee Hutson show.

5. He’s a bit self-deprecating

Christian’s dry humor often gets turned around to involve himself. Sometimes it’s about his outfit, while last night it came when an audience member yelled out, wanting to ask a question about what his family thinks of his music. He answered that they think it’s okay, that they don’t give too much thought into it, and then smiling shard that it’s kinda like he’s the cute little dog in the room.

Another example is how strange it is headlining his first tour and then adding how strange it is that people bought tickets to it. These moments only warm the audience up to him more. His humble approach and view of his success only reaffirms his dedicated fans’ enjoyment.

4. Covers

His release of The Version Suicides series last year put classic love songs in the “King of Bummercore” treatment. ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”, Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles”, Taylor Swift’s “Betty”, Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One” are just a few of the re-imagines that Christian tackled. Even though none of those made it onto the set-list last night, Christian attempted Santana’s “Smooth” to open the evening.

3. Pin Drops

There’s certainly a high level of love for Christian in his audiences. Although the crowd mostly chatted through the opener, it was immediate pin drop silence for almost all of his set. Being able to play “Lose This Number” as the 3rd song into the list, while having everyone softly sing along, is a power. “Northsiders” hits exceptionally heavy when the entire room soaks in the weight of the lyrics and story.

Even the encore, which an audience member tagged as “musical edging”, was deftly silent through the 3 songs. This gave “Atheist” an even better showcase as the acoustic parts are nimbly beautiful and complex. Hearing those details in a large live space is like listening to the vinyl on high volume with headphones.

2. Authentic Banter

Most artists have go-to stories and statements between specific songs. Every Christian show is always a scratch book of what’s going to be discussed. Nothing feels staged or rehearsed. We covered Mario Cart, why the bass guitar is the best instrument ever, finding trash under the pier in Santa Monica, getting high at a museum, and the controversial opinions of Birdo. (Christian – here’s your research)

1. Melancholy Enchantment

Ending the night solo playing “Seven Lakes”, per crowd request, Christian lives in the melancholy of missed opportunities, failed connections, and the gloom of feeling sad. It resonates to his fans. “Twin Soul” is one of many other examples of songs that lyrically dive into hurt and depression. Christian performs these songs with a soft blade, skewering people with that mood.

Performing most of his newest release Quitters, there were some peppier moments with “Rubberneckers” and “Creature Feature” that added in a prerecorded loop. But overall attending one of these shows is an expectation to have a human experience. To discuss, connect, and feel the hardships we all travel through. In this case, Christian is traveling through ours, giving that moment to be quiet, process, and ever so gently sing along.

Catch the rest of the tour HERE.