On February 23, Canadian singer-songwriter Johnny Orlando performed the second concert of the European leg of his ‘The Ride’ world tour at the Hybrydy in Warsaw. And what a show it was!
The evening started with a performance of tour opener GUS. He came on stage and immediately drew the crowd’s attention. Not only did he look amazing, but he also sounded very good. Some fans were singing along to his songs, which took GUS by surprise. As his face lit up, you could see it made him very happy. He knew how to get people’s attention before Johnny came on stage. As GUS didn’t have a band with him on this tour, the drummer and guitarist from Johnny’s band performed the set with him. When he finished his set, he received a loud applause.
After a short break in between, it was time for Johnny Orlando. The show started with a recording of what sounded like voices from people close to him, accompanied by the lights forming a rainbow and all together, the room was immediately filled with a positive atmosphere. Everyone was singing along to all his songs, and in between everyone was cheering him on as loud as they could. Throughout the entire show, Johnny showed a wide smile. The last time Orlando did a show in Poland was more than five years ago, so fans have been waiting a long time for him to come back. The crowd was not just filled with Polish fans, but with people that travelled from all over Europe.
On the day of the concert, his album The Ride was released. He played some songs from the brand-new album and was shocked that fans already knew the lyrics and were happily singing along. He interacted with fans and gave a girl a microphone to sing a part of his old song called ‘What If (I Told You I Like You)’. He introduced his band to the crowd and told them that it was their first time in Poland. He said his sister’s birthday was coming up and the crowd took that cue to start singing ‘Happy Birthday’ in Polish. Before singing a cover of Justin Bieber’s ‘Never Let You Go’ Johnny introduced the audience to his band, informing them that it was their first time in Poland. He also sang a part of ‘Last Summer’ just for the Polish crowd.
It seems clear that he loves Poland and has missed performing there a lot. It was amazing to see his growth after all these years and to hear how his voice has gotten more mature. Johnny ended his set with his painfully wonderful song ‘someone will love you better’, which was the best way to end this amazing evening.
Written by: Sara Berne
Photographed by: Sara Berne
Edited by: Ilse Muis
