By Darlene Donloe
There is no denying the star power of Seal.
He held the crowd at The Hollywood Bowl in the palm of his hand during his recent stop at the iconic venue – part of his 2024 World Tour.
His imposing presence on stage coupled with his smooth, delicious vocals makes for a pleasing evening of music.
His rich voice is like no other in the music business. After three decades in the industry, his voice still seduces the audience effortlessly, engulfing even the massive outdoor setting.
Accompanied by a three-piece band that included drums (Drew McKeon), guitar (Zach Wish), and a keyboard (Jamie Muhoberac), Seal, dressed in white pants, a silvery shirt, and a gray sports coat that he eventually shed, kicked off his set by taking the audience on a journey through both his classic hits and his new songs. He sang songs from his Seal 1 and Seal 11 albums.
The sexy 61-year-old took the stage with a hearty, “What’s up hometown,” before warning that he couldn’t do his usual lengthy banter due to the venue’s 10:30 p.m. curfew.
The pop icon then started his 90-minute set with a song called, ‘Aikin (All I Know is Now).’
He also beguiled the audience with several personal, sometimes comical stories as he worked his way through his repertoire including “The Beginning,” “Deep Water,” and “Future Love Paradise.”
He then told the mature audience that six years ago, he thought “texting was the anti-Christ.”
“I wrote a song about it,” he said.
The song is “I’ve Been Thinking.”
“I’ve been thinking just one call is all it takes,” he said. “World, how are you doing?”
Seal then promptly jumped off the stage and into the crowd – as his fans screamed and applauded in approval. He shook hands, slow danced with one lucky fan, and high-fived others before leaping onto a platform in the middle of the Bowl to finish singing a song.
To bond with his audience, which he’s been known to do throughout his career, Seal spoke of the time he had a car crash, got double pneumonia, and stood next to someone who got shot on Sunset Boulevard.
“I was living a reckless life,” he told his fans before sharing that was the impetus for him to write the song, “Prayer For The Dying.”
While he admitted to no longer living a reckless life, he did admit to recently being diagnosed with ADHD. He called it a “Superpower that makes you hypersensitive and, at times, too receptive to everything going on.”
“I’m the patron saint of returns – regarding Amazon,” he quipped. “ I have piles of stuff around the house – like books I won’t read and guitar amps.”
He then launched into several songs including “A Little Lie,” “Killer,” and a new song he wrote called “The Love We Give,” which is his view on the social climate.
As he began explaining the meaning of the song, he stopped mid-sentence to say he hated explaining his songs.
Other songs on his hit parade included “Bring It On” and the brilliant “Kiss From A Rose.”
As 10:30 p.m. approached, Seal told the audience that he had been granted an extra five minutes and that he would sing a song that starts with a “C!”
The crowd roared.
The sex–walking singer knew he couldn’t get out of the Bowl without singing “Crazy,” which the crowd helped him sing word-for-word.
He didn’t want to end the concert with a “sad ballad” or a “bad salad,” so he chose “Get It Together” as his finale. The song's lyrics say, "We got to keep this world together, got to keep it moving straight. Love like we mean forever so that people can relate."
A true showman, Seal then reminded the crowd it was now 10:38 p.m. and said, “Goodnight.”
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