VH1 host You Oughta Know concert at Roseland Ballroom

Last night VH1 filled New York City’s Roseland Ballroom for the inaugural You Oughta Know series live concert. The franchise, started in 2005 with the intention of highlighting up-and-coming artists, has spotlighted such acts as Adele, Leona Lewis, and Regina Spektor. To christen this first ever live performance, VH1 brought resident music expert Jim Shearer to showcase talented acts HAIM, Lorde, JOHNNYSWIM, Emeli Sandé, Matt Nathanson, and Grammy-nominated act The Lumineers. 

To open the evening, Soul and R’n’B songwriter Emeli Sandé seduced the crowd with her ballad single, Clown, and ended on an upbeat note with the immensely popular Next to Me. San Francisco-born folk singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson followed with new hit singles Kinks Shirt and Mission Bells off his latest album, The Last of the Great Pretenders, as well as platinum-selling smash hit Come on Get Higher.

New Zealand-born teen alt-pop sensation Lorde took the stage next. The crowd was entranced throughout the set, especially during Royals, the hit single, and the eerily entertaining Team. Sister rock trio HAIM kept the evening’s energy going with electrically charged tracks like The Wire and Honey and I, ultimately bringing Lorde back to the stage with a cover of Sheryl Crow’s Strong Enough to Be My Man. Folk-soul duo (and married couple) JOHNNYSWIM provided the night’s penultimate performance, treating the crowd to the hugely popular Heart Beats as well as rock anthem Diamonds, while folk band The Lumineers closed the show with their ever-popular tracks Submarines and Stubborn Love. 

In between performances, Matt Nathanson rocked the crowd with covers from past You Oughta Know singles, including Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People. Fans were also privy to a taped performance of UK-based singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran’s Lego House. If the crowd’s enthusiasm is any indication of the popularity of these burgeoning artists, we all will be well-acquainted with their music very soon. 

Daniel Engelke

For further information about VH1, You Oughta Know and future events visit here.

Watch a live stream of this concert here: