Photo: Anne-Marie Forker
Eurovision and TikTok star Sam Ryder visited Vulkan Arena in Oslo on his first European headline tour last night, in support of the release of his debut album "There’s Nothing But Space, Man!" on 18 November.Ryder entered the stage dressed in his jumpsuit to huge applause and the atmosphere was jovial as he opened the concert with "Tiny Riot". Ryder asked if anyone had been at Bergenfest, where he had performed the last time he visited Norway. There were not many in the Oslo crowd who had been there, and Ryder quipped: "Glad we inspired them...to never see us again! So, this will be the last time we see you, we're going to make the most of it." The evening was full of this sort of banter between artist and audience. Few artists radiate such positive energy as Sam Ryder. He is constantly smiling and is obviously very comfortable on stage, alongside Louis on guitar.
"This show is meant to be a dialog, a conversation... Is that cool?", Ryder asked the crowd during the second song, "Whirlwind". He then encouraged the audience to get their phones out and raise and lower them during certain sections of the song, while showcasing his dynamic vocals. It was reminiscent of how Freddie Mercury used to control the crowd. (Ryder recently performed with Queen at the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert at Wembley in London.)
An early highlight was the recent single "Somebody" followed by "This Time", a song about "not being too big for your boots" and being grateful for small blessings. The crowd were waving in unison as Ryder's powerful voice filled Vulkan. It soared even higher during "Deep Blue Doubt".
Then came an admission of nerves. Ryder said he was terrified about singing the next track as it was the first time he had performed it in public: "You're the Voice" by John Farnham. He said it was "practice" for a later occasion when he had to sing it, and although it wasn't a perfect performance this time, it was a fantastic effort. Next came the earnest ballad "All The Way Over" which Ryder sang with a soft and clear voice. He again asked the crowd to get their phones out and sang from the middle of the crowd to a chosen member of the audience.
Another cover came with a ballad version of Abba's "Waterloo", followed by the closing song, which could only be the song that gave him his Eurovision success - "Space Man". It's a shame the set was only an hour in length, as the crowd clearly wanted more.