I missed the initial popularity of Jesse McCartney. When his first solo album came out it was 2004, and I had just got one of the third generation iPods a few months earlier. Being able to control the music I hear at all times meant I wasn’t listening to the radio anymore, so hits like “Beautiful Soul” and “She’s No You” completely passed me by. I didn’t even know that he had written the global smash “Bleeding Love” for Leona Lewis until a few days ago (the song is a decade old).

It’s been almost 5 years since his last album, but in 2018 he put out a couple well-received singles, including “Wasted,” the video for which is almost up to a million views after only 2 weeks. He mentioned during the show last night that his New Year’s resolution is to finish a new album, so it may not be too long before his next release.

Last night’s performance was a walk down memory lane for a lot of fans who have been with Jesse since the beginning. An all-ages event, some people even brought their young kids to enjoy the music. The set featured songs from all of his albums, including the three I’ve mentioned already. While his boyish good looks have given way to a more rugged handsomeness, his performance was filled with the youthful exuberance of a guy who truly loves what he’s doing.

His costume changes were quick and seamless. In most cases I didn’t even notice he had left the stage. The interactions with the audience were all fun and kept pushing the show forward. Near the end of the show he serenaded a fan with “Told You So” and found out that she had appeared in a movie with him ( she said which one but I didn’t hear her). It was a cute moment and she was in disbelief when she walked past me to go back to her spot on the floor.

The Resolution Tour is a lot of fun. The songs in the set are almost all uptempo tunes you can dance to, and Jesse and the other musicians on stage execute them perfectly. The tour heads west after a stop in Milwaukee on February 1. You can find the rest of the dates on his website here.