The Spectrum

Issue date: 2/9/06 Section: A & E

Media Credit: The Spectrum/ Dana Cannizzaro LeBlanc performs as the crowd sings along .

Last Wednesday, friends and fans packed Holy Grounds to see Jeff LeBlanc perform. LeBlanc, a sophomore here at SHU, filled the evening with acoustic and electric numbers.

The very ambient Holy Grounds was nicely dimmed and set up for an up close and intimate performance from the singer/songwriter. One may think that The Arcade Fire was playing, by the size of the crowd.

Instead, the audience watched LeBlanc warm up with "City Love Jam," which he then lead into cover artists such as: Howie Day, Ari Hest, John Mayer, and "Registrar" Joe Beleznay.

LeBlanc also played one of his original songs, entitled "Healed," which seemed to get a bigger response from the crowd than the cover songs.

"I like his style because it's really low key and mellow. He plays his own stuff mixed with other artists," said Janelle Watson, sophomore, Boston,Mass.

Throughout his performance, LeBlanc switched from acoustic to electric guitars, adding variety and diversity to the show. LeBlanc enhanced his electric tunes with foot pedals, creating beats to tap your feet to.

LeBlanc's cover of John Mayer's "Clarity," lead audience members to cheer and sing along with his rendition of this song.

By the time LeBlanc was done with his set the crowd wasn't ready to leave just yet, they were begging for him to play one more. He satisfied their wishes and played a John Mayer cover, "Daughters."

After the show, LeBlanc shared some of his feelings about the night's performance.

"It was an awesome feeling to know that I had the crowd behind me, which allowed the door to open for me to release some new cover material and finally my first original tune. My first original song, "Healed," I put together in Nov. after some challenging times. It's my first real stab at songwriting, and I really think it's on the way."

Fans are eager to see and hear LeBlanc live again.

"Jeff played well and I thought it was really exciting to hear his original music, and I hope he plays more shows in the near future," said Kelly Linskey, sophomore, Seal Beach, Calif.

It looks like Leblanc would like to play in the near future as well.

"I really love performing at Sacred Heart. Playing for my peers keeps things at the up most honesty level, making this the perfect test for the next round of shows," said LeBlanc.

It appears that Jeff LeBlanc at Holy Grounds was a big hit, just like those waffles that they serve with the ice cream on top.

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