Leslie Odom Jr. in Concert

[Mike3]

Posted: 1/21/19 at 11:51am

Leslie performed last night with the Oregon Symphony in Portland. It was a beautiful show, highlighted for me by his a cappella "Forever Young" and his beautiful rendition of "Without You" from RENT which is in single release.

It was a bit of a surprise when he was introduced and he and his five-piece band walked out on stage in decidedly casual clothes to join the full orchestra. Leslie was in a pair of faded jeans, boots and a black jacket. The promo photos for the event had featured him in a slick tux.

He quickly explained that he and the band had flown in from Charlotte, leaving very early that morning. It wasn't until he reached his hotel in Portland that he realized his suit was still hanging in his hotel closet some 3,000 miles away.

He also explained that he insisted he wasn't going to be the only one in street clothes, and told his band they were all going casual together.

Honestly, if there's one city where you can pull this off, it's Portland. He was charming, and people ate it up.