Beth Hart You Still Got Me Tour Usher Hall Edinburgh 16 May 2026 Review
Beth Hart was at the Usher Hall Edinburgh tonight, a stop-off date on her current "You Still Got Me Tour", and this show was pretty much sold-out. For anyone who is not familiar with this venue, The Usher Hall is a classic specially built concert hall that opened in 1914. With a seating capacity of approximately 2,200, that was a lot of tickets to sell tonight, and proof, if any was ever needed, of just how popular Beth Hart is as a singer/songwriter/performer.
Due to show dates clashing with other events, Beth Hart is a performer that I have never up until now seen perform live; instead, I have followed her music through CDs and online videos. Having said this though, nothing really prepares you for the sheer power of Beth Hart's vocals when performing live on stage. Here is someone with a classic contralto voice, who knows exactly how to use it, when to be loud, when to be soft, and with great timing and phrasing. These are all vocal qualities that I would normally associate with an operatic singer, so tonight it was a pleasure to listen to what was an entirely instinctive performance.
As well as an outstanding vocalist who can simply sing a song in any musical genre and style that she chooses, Beth Hart is also a multi-instrumentalist, and a fine songwriter, who writes in so many different, powerful and emotional styles. Some of these though, like "Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash" are just fun songs to listen to.
Beth Hart’s personal struggles have been well-documented over the years and whilst not citing specifics, Beth was tonight making more than a few references to them and how she now deals with some things to stay healthy. I mention this simply because some of the songs on tonight's set list capture those struggles and emotions.
From the first few moments of this show, and the opening number "Tell 'Em to Hold On", Beth Hart was clearly here, on stage at the Usher Hall, to put on not just a show, but also to make a clear statement about her abilities as a performer. Here was a performer who was obviously very happy to be with her fans, and within a few songs, Beth was off-stage and walking around the main seated area and shaking people’s hands. This connection with her audience was almost instant and from what I could see, based upon her music and simple honesty. Beth Hart was just being Beth Hart, someone who, like so many other people in life, has faced some problems and dealt with them. This is probably why, judging from the audience response tonight, so many people have taken her into their hearts in a very special way.
By Beth Hart's own admission tonight, there is a duality to her. On the outside, audiences get to see the woman with the classic blues/rocker image, but on the inside there is a very different person, one far more fragile and easily damaged. This was reflected in the set tonight, a mixture of harder/faster rock/blues songs, and the far more reflective and at times introspective, behind the piano ones (Beth's own private, safe place). In between these two worlds was a fine acoustic set of songs.
When you have songs tonight like "Love Gangster", "Saviour With A Razor", "War In my Mind", (to name just a few) at your fingertips, any set mix is always going to be special. Beth Hart was obviously in a very comfortable performance space tonight and was just enjoying every moment of it and going with the flow. Also clear tonight was that whatever Beth Hart chooses to sing, it comes from her heart and soul.
Opening the show tonight, “Wille & The Bandits (Acoustic Duo)” aka Wille Edwards (guitars/vocals) and Harry Mackaill (bass). Wille has one of the most identifiable rock/blues voices that I have heard in a long time. Wille is also a fine slide player and his work on Weissenborn was equally impressive. Harry Mackaill on bass perfectly matched Wille's work to give an authentic blues/rock feel to their music, which was also contemporary and unique.
The duos set tonight came from their live EP, Wille and the Bandit (Duo)- Acoustic Revisions Vol. 1. As well as some very good and distinctive original songs, the closing one tonight, a cover of the Robert Johnson classic "Crossroads” (aka Cross Road Blues) was a big success with this audience.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Due to show dates clashing with other events, Beth Hart is a performer that I have never up until now seen perform live; instead, I have followed her music through CDs and online videos. Having said this though, nothing really prepares you for the sheer power of Beth Hart's vocals when performing live on stage. Here is someone with a classic contralto voice, who knows exactly how to use it, when to be loud, when to be soft, and with great timing and phrasing. These are all vocal qualities that I would normally associate with an operatic singer, so tonight it was a pleasure to listen to what was an entirely instinctive performance.
As well as an outstanding vocalist who can simply sing a song in any musical genre and style that she chooses, Beth Hart is also a multi-instrumentalist, and a fine songwriter, who writes in so many different, powerful and emotional styles. Some of these though, like "Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash" are just fun songs to listen to.
Beth Hart’s personal struggles have been well-documented over the years and whilst not citing specifics, Beth was tonight making more than a few references to them and how she now deals with some things to stay healthy. I mention this simply because some of the songs on tonight's set list capture those struggles and emotions.
From the first few moments of this show, and the opening number "Tell 'Em to Hold On", Beth Hart was clearly here, on stage at the Usher Hall, to put on not just a show, but also to make a clear statement about her abilities as a performer. Here was a performer who was obviously very happy to be with her fans, and within a few songs, Beth was off-stage and walking around the main seated area and shaking people’s hands. This connection with her audience was almost instant and from what I could see, based upon her music and simple honesty. Beth Hart was just being Beth Hart, someone who, like so many other people in life, has faced some problems and dealt with them. This is probably why, judging from the audience response tonight, so many people have taken her into their hearts in a very special way.
By Beth Hart's own admission tonight, there is a duality to her. On the outside, audiences get to see the woman with the classic blues/rocker image, but on the inside there is a very different person, one far more fragile and easily damaged. This was reflected in the set tonight, a mixture of harder/faster rock/blues songs, and the far more reflective and at times introspective, behind the piano ones (Beth's own private, safe place). In between these two worlds was a fine acoustic set of songs.
When you have songs tonight like "Love Gangster", "Saviour With A Razor", "War In my Mind", (to name just a few) at your fingertips, any set mix is always going to be special. Beth Hart was obviously in a very comfortable performance space tonight and was just enjoying every moment of it and going with the flow. Also clear tonight was that whatever Beth Hart chooses to sing, it comes from her heart and soul.
Opening the show tonight, “Wille & The Bandits (Acoustic Duo)” aka Wille Edwards (guitars/vocals) and Harry Mackaill (bass). Wille has one of the most identifiable rock/blues voices that I have heard in a long time. Wille is also a fine slide player and his work on Weissenborn was equally impressive. Harry Mackaill on bass perfectly matched Wille's work to give an authentic blues/rock feel to their music, which was also contemporary and unique.
The duos set tonight came from their live EP, Wille and the Bandit (Duo)- Acoustic Revisions Vol. 1. As well as some very good and distinctive original songs, the closing one tonight, a cover of the Robert Johnson classic "Crossroads” (aka Cross Road Blues) was a big success with this audience.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com