People pack Bluebird for Christina Perri show

Christina Perri and her band walked off the Bluebird Nightclub stage without singing the song “Jar of Hearts,” the 2010 hit single that first aired on the Fox TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.”

The crowd wasn’t convinced she would play her first show in Bloomington without singing the platinum song that eventually led to a record deal with Atlantic Records.

Perri sat down behind the piano for an encore as the audience began to cheer and clap.

“This particular song changed my whole life,” Perri said into the microphone. “But it’s not me. It’s you guys. You listened to the radio, you requested it and you downloaded it.”

People packed into the Bluebird on Tuesday night to watch the Philadelphia native perform nine of the 16 tracks from the deluxe edition of her album “lovestrong.” along with two new songs and a cover of the Ronettes’ 1963 song “Be My Baby.” Perri’s album was released last May, and she has been touring for the past two and a half weeks with the band Sleeping At Last, which opened for Perri.

“(I’m here because) I love Christina Perri. I love the way she gets into her music and is really open to her fans,” said Jerry Bowling, a recent Purdue graduate who said he was enjoying his first visit to Bloomington for the show. “Everyone wants to hear ‘Jar of Hearts,’ so I’ll say I’m really looking forward to ‘Arms.’ That’s also one of my
favorites.”

So far, Perri has released three successful singles: her breakout single “Jar of Hearts,” “Arms” and “A Thousand Years,” which was featured on the 2011 album for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1.”  

A barefoot Ryan O’Neal also performed the song “Quicksand,”  which was featured on ABC’s TV show “Grey’s Anatomy,” before Perri’s set.

“I’m so excited you guys would come and spend your evening with us,” Perri said after the first song “Bang Bang Bang,” one of the more upbeat numbers on her album.

Drummer Jacob Marshal1, who had been playing in the band for just the past four days, said he is excited to tour with Perri.

“I definitely get lost up there (on stage), and the more I lose myself, I think it’s contagious,” Marshall said.

Bloomington resident Lehua Aplaca attended the concert with Bloomington resident and friend Denise Alexander, who said she first heard “Jar of Hearts” on “So You Think You Can Dance?”

Perri’s singles “Jar of Hearts” and “A Thousand Years” were the only songs Apalca said she had heard before attending the concert.

“This is awesome that the Bluebird is bringing more mainstream artists,” Aplaca said.

“Usually, you have to go to (Indianapolis) to see these kinds of artists, and gas is really expensive right now, so this is really convenient.”

At the end of “Jar of Hearts,” Perri threw red and yellow roses out to the crowd.

“Live shows are a great way to get to know an artist,” Aplaca said.