Josh Groban is a distinctively singular talent. Known for his powerhouse vocals that could make even the most mundane song beautiful, Groban has spent the last decade or so of his career adding to his robust discography, touring around the world, and making Tony-nominated performances on Broadway.

His current tour, the Stage, Screen, and Symphony Tour, blends the best of all worlds.

Divided into two acts, Groban’s setlist included some of the best of his most recent album, Cinematic, an album of covers of some of the most iconic songs in film history, as well as a mix of theatre classics from shows like Finian’s Rainbow, A Little Night Music, and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, for which Groban received a Tony nomination in 2017.

While Groban’s vocal talents alone were worth the price of admission (I cannot emphasize enough how much it meant to this Great Comet fan to hear “Dust and Ashes” live one more time), the night was made all the more spectacular by the accompaniments of The Charlotte Symphony, who provided orchestrations for the entire setlist. The perfect marriage of vocals and instrumentals made just about every song chill-inducing, although particular standouts were “Evermore,” from the 2017 remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, “Brucia la terra” from The Godfather, and “Skyfall” from Skyfall.

Although musical talent was unmistakably apparent, so was Groban’s sense of humor and graciousness. During the set, he made time to spotlight 2026 Jimmy Award winner Samia Posadas, giving her time to do a solo performance of “On My Own” from Les Misérables, before accompanying her with a duet of “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera. Other special guests included violinist Lucia Micarelli, who provided violin backing for several songs, and sang a duet of “Falling Slowly” from Once with Groban.

It was also incredibly lovely to see someone of the caliber of Josh Groban being supported by local talent. Groban was quick to give praise to the Charlotte Symphony and members of the Charlotte Master Chorale, who provided backing vocals for a few songs. While Groban has notoriously been a proponent of the arts, having established his own nonprofit that helps fund arts education in schools, there was something truly wonderful about seeing someone of such notoriety foster an environment of supporting local talent just as enthusiastically as his own.

The evening was, in every sense, a night that reminded us of why live theater, live music, and the talents of Josh Groban remain so special.

Josh Groban’s Stage, Screen, and Symphony tour continues through September.

_{Photos by Lex Williams}