Friday night, November 8th, Amber Run brought their “Philophobia” tour to the Back Room At Colectivo and played excellently. Thirty minutes prior, Jordan Mackampa opened for Amber Run and completely stole the show.
I attended the concert expecting to write about the smashing success of Amber Run playing for their dedicated fan base on the upper east side of Milwaukee, but I was blindsided by Jordan Mackampa’s amazing set.
I am no stranger to Jordan Mackampa; I’ve been a fan for years. However, I had apparently only scratched the surface. Having had the pleasure of speaking to him before the show as we waited for our drinks, I can say that the calm, soothing voice heard on his tracks only becomes calmer and smoother in a one-on-one setting. Combined with his deceptively simple guitar playing, powerful lyrics, and a surprising vocal range, Jordan Mackampa makes for one hell of a performer.
Throughout his set, Mackampa shows he’s a genuine person with genuine feelings singing genuine songs that made seeing him live certainly worth the admission fee. In between technical difficulties blasting spotlights on him mid-song, he played some classics, a few fan-favorites and even a new song off his debut album “Foreigner” (set to release March 2020). Jordan connected with the audience while tuning his guitar, explaining the significance of each song as he introduced them and telling a story.
He told the story of a young boy, born in the Dominican Republic of Congo, forced out of his home country by war. A boy who went on to live in the United Kingdom, having only ever learned French, he had a difficult time communicating with his new English peers as he very simply could not understand what they were saying, read what they were writing or act how they were acting. It’s Jordan Mackampa… The boy is Jordan Mackampa. His story forms the basis for his title-track “Foreigner,” dedicated to anyone who feels like they don’t fit in or don’t belong.
If you have the opportunity, I sincerely urge you to see Jordan Mackampa live, there are still six shows left on his tour with Amber Run at the time of writing. If you for any reason can’t make it to a show, you should at least give his new album a listen when it’s released in March. Honestly, even if you do see him perform you should still listen to his album.
(Maybe even consider purchasing a physical copy as streaming music gives very little back to the artist.)
Amber Run played admirably and deserves commendations as well. Good job, Amber Run.
