The first date of a UK tour, and the first gigs in the country with a full band for many-a-year, tonight’s first of back-to-back sold out dates in his hometown, was a case for serious celebration and emotional introspection. Mike Rosenberg, aka Passenger gave us both.

In a recent interview with Brightonsfinest, Rosenberg indicated he was a little tired and in need of a proper break, following the whirlwind of the last three years where he, almost overnight, went from being a busking singer-songwriter of minor repute to a global sensation. His ‘Let Her Go’ song went to number one in 18 countries. All that work of the previous decade suddenly came to fruition. And he took full advantage, performing on vastly bigger stages his superbly autobiographical narratives that resonate with audiences around the globe. He may be a little worn out by it all, but there is no doubting that he is going to give it his all, as he always does, over the course of the next few months, promoting the new, and UK number one album, Young as the Morning Old as the Sea.

I’ve watched Passenger many a time (indeed organised some gigs for them) back in the mid-2000s, when it was a five-piece band. But that period in his life didn’t work out, and so he kept the name and became a solo artist. Tonight, for the first time in nearly a decade he’s back onstage in Brighton with a band. ‘“Anyone see the old band?” he asks. A few voices perk up. “All nine of you must be here tonight!” As always, there is an admirable modesty about Rosenberg, a humorous self-deprecation that is another key to his success. Indeed, if he ever tired of music, he could possibly carve out a career as a stand-up comedian. He’s funny throughout, a lucid (if occasionally long-winded) storyteller and joke-maker, as well as one who constantly reminds himself on stage how lucky he is. And he means it. It’s beyond question, it’s from the heart. More than almost anyone else, he loves performing, and he truly sees a gig – whether here or on the streets – as an equal, two-way process. Tonight he is in his element; in his home city, with a lot of old friends and fans in the audience, and it’s the first date of the tour. It’s a perfect setting for him to showcase what he does so well and with his band in tow, he rises to the occasion.

Mixing up new songs (which many of the audience are already familiar with) with songs from his back catalogue, he again demonstrates what a great songwriter he really is. To the extent that even his one and only hit, the aforementioned uber-smash ‘Let Her Go’, isn’t particularly elevated into a mass sing-a-long tonight, above all others. From new song ‘Somebody’s Love’, through ‘Life’s For The Living’, ’27’ and the hilarious-yet-serious ‘I Hate’, Rosenberg has the full attention of the audience, despite the occasional bursts of good-time heckling.

Towards the end there are sing-a-longs aplenty including a rousing version of ‘Scare Away The Dark’, and an encore that includes new song ‘Home’. Despite this being a very new song, the audience get the torches out via their mobile phones (along with a couple of old school lighters), and the woman next to me is bursting into tears as Rosenberg sings from the heart: “When I start feeling sick of it all, it helps to remember I’m a brick in a wall, who runs down from the hillside to the sea / When I start feeling that it’s gone too far, I lie on my back and stare up at the stars, I wonder if they’re staring back at me.”

A simple song, with simple sentiments, but as always with Rosenberg, beautifully expressed and totally from the heart.
Jeff Hemmings

Check out our 2016 feature interview with Passenger: http://brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/spotlight/1977-passenger-interview-2016