Live Wired [Review]: Matt Nathanson 10/8

posted in: Pop • Reviews & Playlists

Sometimes, the best kind of live shows are the ones that catch you by surprise; the ones that are full of unexpected moments and the ones that leave you smiling. Here at Live Wired, we got to experience both this past weekend, a full day of music courtesy of Matt Nathanson. The Massachusetts-born singer, who released his album Modern Love back in June (check out his interview with OurStage after the album was released) put on two wonderfully different performances on Saturday. Seeing Matt in concert is more than just a live show; it’s an entire experience full of his incredible stage presence and his constant conversation with the audience.

In the early afternoon, Matt and his right-hand man Aaron Tap, took the stage at a jam-packed record store, with people squeezed in between rows and rows of albums. The set was acoustic and mostly comprised of newer material, which allowed us to hear beautiful versions of songs like “Bottom Of The Sea” (Matt joked was the sequel to “Under The Sea” from  the movie The Little Mermaid). The song translated perfectly into an acoustic performance, with Matt and Aaron providing wonderful harmonies. Acoustic shows are always more intimate, and Matt took full advantage of that atmosphere, spending a good chunk of time between songs talking with the crowd. While sometimes this approach doesn’t work well for artists, he had everyone laughing hysterically the whole time. Noticing a few younger kids to the side of the stage, he had some fun while explaining the meaning behind some of his songs, attempting to make them more “PG”. To the delight of the crowd, he played one of his older and more popular songs, “Come On Get Higher”. Everyone sang along; and there’s something about a giant crowd in a small room singing in unison with a couple of acoustic guitars that is so wonderful. It brings everyone together. It’s what live music is really about.

Later that night, Matt Nathanson took the stage with a full band, ready to play to a sold out crowd in his home state. He kicked off the show with one of his most upbeat songs, “Mercy”, which perfectly shows off the unique sound of his newest album. It got the crowd amped up and ready for the rest of the night. His charismatic personality carried through from the earlier performance, as he often got caught up in telling stories or making jokes. It often took him a few tries to start playing a song, because he’d remember something else he wanted to say. It was so genuine and the crowd loved it. But, one of the best parts of the show occured in the middle of the set when he played some softer songs. “Angel”, from his 2003 album Beneath These Fireworks, is a short and sweet but heartfelt song. The crowd knew every word, and it was as if we were back in the quiet scene of the afternoon’s acoustic performance. The rest of the band left the stage for Matt and Aaron to cover Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”. Their version was simple but powerful and fit their voices surprisingly well. Matt worked in many other covers into their set as well, creating medleys out of his songs and hits such as “The Dog Days Are Over” and “Forget You”. At one point, the band was getting ready to play “Bare”, when Matt decided to cover Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” after he heard the crowd singing along to the song being played over the speakers at the venue.

Matt’s stage presence and energy were highlighted the most during “Wedding Dress”, off of his album Some Mad Hope. Despite his sense of humor and fun-loving personality, he also has a more serious and passionate side which came across in this emotional song. During the encore, he then spoke about the importance of doing something worthwhile with your life, singing the words to “All We Are”: “every day is a start of something beautiful”. He then, of course, found a way to make a joke about Kim Kardashian.