As a college student with no car, I rarely get to see live music outside of Berkeley. But as a Bay Area native, I knew I had to show my friends my favorite music venue / Japanese restaurant: Yoshi’s in Jack London Square. There were five of us total. When I got the tickets to see Haley Reinhart, I had no idea what to expect, and was I in for a treat. Reinhart was what I declared “the best live singer I have ever heard.” Not only did she have amazing range and vocal capabilities, but she carried emotion and soul in her voice while charming the audience with her natural charisma.
Haley Reinhart made her return to Yoshi’s in Oakland on October 21st and 22nd. As we walked in, my friend happened to say she knew Reinhart after spotting the sign on display. I told her that Reinhart was who we were seeing tonight, and she said that four of her covers were on one of her pre-existing playlists. My friend was already a fan – what a fun surprise!
The house was packed and roared with cheers as Haley Reinhart stepped onto the stage. She was in a full length zebra print dress, a black cardigan, tall red heels, and her seemingly-signature sunglasses. There were two screens with her name in a swirly font and a night sky with pink cotton candy clouds floating aimlessly in the background. It was Yoshi’s, so we ordered food: Green Tea beignets and creme brûlée as our in-show sweet treats.
Reinhart was instantly captivating. She opened with her own song “Behave” from her album Better. The song is sultry and seductive, in love with the subject and pulling the listener in. Reinhart performed it with twang, pointing to the audience as she sang “why can’t I find a guy like you?” over and over.
She performed a range of songs, interspersing songs of her own with popular covers. I realized that I recognized her voice after she mentioned that her cover of Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” was in an Extra Gum commercial, which she joked about. Her voice has also been in various other ads, as well as popular television shows. This is the power in her voice: she has the tonal perfection to do corporate ads while also being able to pull out a grungy, deep, inner emotion as she sings.
At one point she kicked the band off the stage and just her pianist remained before she enchantingly sang the cover of one song the audience knew well: “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Reinhart sings it sweetly and gently, and at the end belts out the final chorus with strength before returning to her softness. She performed a cover of “So This Is Love,” which transported me into a nostalgic flow of memories and images of childhood (as the song was written for Cinderella, of course this was only logical).
Reinhart jokingly says she is putting a spell on the audience, bewitching us into coming back to see her at Yoshi’s next time she visits. This was followed by my favorite cover that she did: “I Put a Spell on You,” where she truly put me into a trance as she enthralled us with her vocal range in combination with the slow rhythm of the song.
She performed a song of her own (“Danger”) filled with soul and rasp, expressing a fear of losing a loved one. I appreciated how her guitarist nodded along in encouragement as she sang – or he was just nodding to the beat, who knows. This song (I think) has not yet been released – be on the lookout!
Reinhart closed out the show with a performance of Radiohead’s “Creep.” She, of course, completely makes it her own. Her rendition begins as a haunting lullaby, with eerie, simple instrumentals behind her soft and enthralling vocals. She completely contrasts this as she enters the chorus, deeply dipping down in her range to exclaim “But I’m a…” and then returning to the airy melody when she says “creep.” Throughout the song her vocals are increasingly angry, raspy belting out “What the h*ll am I doing here? Oh yeah, I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo” at the top of her lungs as she finishes. It was the perfect grand finale because it showcased just how much passion can be conveyed in her vocals, whether soft and melodic or belting with frustration. Reinhart made the song her own, and I felt that in her soul she was taking in the self-deprecating lyrics and exclaiming them to the world.
Reinhart’s performance stuck with me. My friends and I agreed how although she was insanely vocally talented and impressive, her personality and character shone through in the music in a way that made us all newly dedicated fans. Yoshi’s was the perfect venue for Reinhart to cast a spell on, and it worked. We will be returning to see her when she comes back!
Review by Dahlia Kapelke
