With just a short time frame to impress a packed house, (filled with Vanessa Carlton fans) Graham Colton had no easy feat. There weren't bars or booze (or anything else) to distract the audience from listening to the opening act. Hell, everyone was seated and listening attentively. My friend leaned over to me and asked if we were at a school assembly because it was so quiet. (Guaranteed there would have been more talking at a school assembly.) Colton didn't even have a band to back him up; he was playing by himself, completely acoustic.

We featured Colton's new album in our weekly column but weren't completely convinced. We felt it sounded very unoriginal at points by using very familiar chord progressions and melodies. Stripped down to just a guitar and voice, Colton was finally able to shine. We were blown away by the vocal talent (that was missed on the CD) and equally, his song writing ability. Finally, Colton secured us as a fan. His endearing and charming personality also helped; he kept the audience entertained even between his songs. During the break, we overheard several people talking about how happy they were that they got to the concert on time. We shared that same sentiment. Highlights included: "Best Days" (featured above), "Cellophane Girl" and "If Love Was Enough."

Take the jump for one other Graham Colton video and a few Vanessa Carlton videos