James Blake Turns a Long Wait Into a Worthwhile Night at HISTORY

Written and Captured By | Aydin Visanji

Doors opened at seven for the Trying Times tour stop at HISTORY, but James Blake didn’t take the stage until nine. By the time the lights finally dropped, the sold-out venue was packed and noticeably restless. There’s only so much patience a crowd can muster before the wait starts to wear thin.

Any frustration disappeared quickly once Blake emerged alone behind a wall of keyboards. He opened with “Walk Out Music” and “Choose Me”, easing the audience into the set before pivoting into a surprisingly heavy, club-focused rework of Untold’s “Stop What You’re Doing.” The bass hit with enough force to be felt as much as heard, an early reminder that beneath the falsetto and emotional songwriting, Blake remains a formidable producer.

The middle portion of the show focused heavily on material from the new album, with “Death of Love” standing out as the clear highlight. Introduced in a stripped-back arrangement that was slower and more exposed than its studio counterpart, the performance brought the room to a near silence—an impressive feat for a Saturday night crowd at HISTORY. A few unexpected moments landed particularly well: “I’ll Come Too” drew a stronger reaction than anticipated, while Blake’s cover of Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed” inspired a sea of phones to quietly rise throughout the venue.

The final stretch delivered the songs many had been waiting for. “The Limit to Your Love” produced its expected bass-heavy payoff, while “Retrograde” became such a full-room singalong that Blake stopped mid-song, laughed, and let the audience start the chorus again from the top. “Rest of Your Life” closed the main set with an extended jam that stretched long enough for much of the crowd to pull out their phones and record.

The encore proved to be the night’s defining moment. Alone at the piano, Blake performed Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” a song absent from the printed setlist but easily the evening’s most memorable performance. The show lasted roughly 95 minutes, which felt brief after the two-hour wait, but the intimacy and beauty of that final song went a long way toward making up for it.