Luka Bloom, Irish Folk-Rock Singer-Songwriter, played The Sharp Theatre for an audience of dedicated fans on Saturday, October 2nd. The venue, a play house with incredible acoustics, nestled in the hills on the campus of Ramapo College was hosting Luka for his New Jersey tour date. “I’ve finally hit it big,” Luka said after rattling off a list of major European cities that he has played at – “I am finally playing Mahwah.”
Luka started his set with several more upbeat selections from his catalog. Following each song was a story about his past that seemed to flow seamlessly into the next song, again and again. Luka discussed topics ranging from his family’s history of being involved with music and writer, to his passion for traveling, cycling and story telling. Luka had a modest stage presence – a small table with a case of flowers, a pitcher of water, and his three guitars. Luka seemed to split partition his set based on which guitar he was using at the time. The first set of songs were much more upbeat, the second set a bit more bluesy and darker, and the third set, upbeat yet again. The commonality between all three sets of songs was a palpable sense of honesty. Luka ended his set on a high note and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. He made a comment about how he should really disappear into the dressing room, change his shirt, and have the audience clap for five more minutes before doing an encore – but then he decided to stay on stage, two hours deep into his set, and play a few more favorites. As previously stated, Luka “has hit it big” – he is able to do what he loves in some of the largest cities in the world and some of the smallest, suburban towns in the states.