James Blunt’s Gig Proved He’s Still Got It (And Then Some)

James Blunt knows exactly who he is, and that’s part of the charm. Before he even stepped onto the stage at the Spark Arena, Auckland, the crowd was treated to a video montage of the world as it was when Back to Bedlam dropped, pop stars, wars, tech trends, and awkward early-2000s fashion. A clever way to set the tone, but also a bit of a gut punch. The kind that reminds you just how much has changed since You’re Beautiful soundtracked every year nine breakup.

Then came the hits. High, You’re Beautiful, and Wisemen were knocked out early, like a gift to those who came strictly for the classics. But honestly? The real show started the second James opened his mouth to speak. If you’ve never seen him live, know this: it’s half concert, half comedy set. The man has the self-deprecating wit of a seasoned stand-up and he’s not afraid to roast himself or the crowd.

“What a treat and a great, great pleasure to be back here in your beautiful, beautiful amazing country and your fantastic city, thank you so much for having us. Really, it has been too long and we have missed you… We are here to celebrate 10 years of my very first album Back to Bedlam… and you know what that means, that means I’m old, and that means some of you are old too!” He clearly missed the extra decade off, it’s been 20 years!

He then asked the crowd who had been with him since 2005, joking, “Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart, because of you I have a really really nice house in Ibiza.” He followed it up by acknowledging the younger audience members who were probably force-fed his music on school runs: “You guys, I treasure you because you’re my future, because everyone else here will die and I need you.” And just when you thought it couldn’t get any more unfiltered, he asked if anyone had been conceived to You’re Beautiful, before closing with, “Who is here because your wife or girlfriend dragged you? I see you. I relate to you. I wouldn’t go to a f**king James Blunt concert either — unless you paid me. And they did!”

And just like that, he had the entire crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

But for every laugh, there was a sucker-punch of emotion. When he sat at the piano to perform No Bravery, a song written during his time serving in Kosovo with NATO peacekeepers, war footage played on the screen behind him. The tone shifted. It was raw and deeply moving, reminding everyone that beneath the jokes is someone who’s really lived.

That back-and-forth between humour and heart carried the entire night. At one point, he asked the crowd if they wanted to hear his new album or two hours of old stuff. The crowd cheered for the latter. Without missing a beat, he grinned and said, “Guys, that’s the right f**king answer. And what’s more, I don’t even have a new f**king album. And I don’t need one,” before launching into Carry You Home.

Mid-show, things got a little wild. During a surprise cover of Coz I Love You, Blunt abruptly jumped off stage and sprinted around the arena, high-fiving fans as security tried (and failed) to keep up. It was chaotic, hilarious, and deeply on brand, James Blunt as the world’s most wholesome menace.

Later, during Same Mistake, the entire arena lit up with phone torches. It was one of those moments that live gigs do best, totally unprompted, totally collective, and somehow tender. When he returned to the stage in an All Blacks jersey, he sat down at the piano once again and said, “It’s been a really lovely evening, so I think we should end on a really miserable song. This is a song for my father.” He then played Monsters, and it was… heartbreaking. Quiet. Intimate. The kind of song that leaves a lump in your throat no matter how many times you’ve heard it.

But of course, he couldn’t leave us there. He ended with Bonfire Heart and 1973, the crowd dancing like it was a decade ago and screaming like they’d just been dumped by their uni flatmate’s best friend.

James Blunt’s show felt like a proper emotional cleanse, the kind where you laugh, cry, then laugh again until your face hurts. And that’s the magic. He doesn’t need smoke and mirrors or viral dance breaks. Just a guitar, a piano, and the kind of storytelling that hits you square in the heart… right before making you choke on your drink laughing.

Full show setlist:

1. High
2. You’re Beautiful
3. Wisemen
4. Goodbye My Lover
5. Tears and Rain
6. Out of My Mind
7. So Long, Jimmy
8. Billy
9. Cry
10. No Bravery
11. Carry You Home
12. Postcards
13. Coz I Luv You(Slade cover)
14. Stay the Night
15. OK(Robin Schulz cover)
16. Same Mistake
17. Monsters
18. Bonfire Heart
19. 1973