Gentle guitar strumming filled The Van Buren as performers Bedouine and Jóse González made their first stop of their tour together in downtown Phoenix.
Standing behind blue and purple stage lights, Azniv Korkejian, know by her stage name, Bedouine, opened the show with her folky sound and soulful lyrics.
Her calm but strong presence demanded attention from the almost sold out show.
With an acoustic guitar strapped around her, she began playing various tunes from her self titled album, Bedouine, which features songs like “Solitary Daughter” and “Skyline.”
After a few great performances that left the venue cheering, Bedouine left the stage and out came Jóse González.
(Lerman Montoya/DD)
Listening to González’s albums, you wouldn’t believe the guitar sounds could be replicated in a live performance. Yet, before he could finish his first song, he left everyone in awe with his soft voice and precision moving up and down the neck of his guitars.
González played fan favorites from his albums Veneer, In our Nature, and Vestiges and Claws, but finished his set without playing some of his most iconic songs.
“My mind was being blown when he sang ‘Teardrop’ it gave me 30 seconds of chills,” said Alex Gonzalez, a longtime fan of Jóse González’s music with no relation to the musician.
Jóse González walked off-stage and received a standing ovation from the crowd as they demanded and cheered for him to comeback and perform more of his songs.
González finished the show with the song that jump started his international fame: “Heartbeats.”
Contact the columnist at lmontoy5@asu.edu
