Before Josh Ritter's recent gig at the Metro, I knew his stuff. I liked his stuff. Would I have considered myself a Josh Ritter fan? Probably not. He was a cool enough guy making good music but for some reason, I was never drawn to him the way most of my peers were. However, at my friend Chad's insistence, I decided to delve into his discography further and go to his show at the Metro and I'm thrilled that I did.
I go to a lot of concerts, but Josh Ritter might be the best showman I've ever seen, which is saying quite a lot. Of all the shows I was planning on seeing in June, Josh's was honestly the one I was least excited about. However, after seeing how much Josh and his backing band genuinely love what they do, my apathetic attitude gave way to the utmost respect. Throughout each song on his lengthy set list, Josh could barely suppress his smiles. His excitement for being on stage in front of about a thousand people and his adoration for his craft was infectious. Watching Josh grin in the middle of a lyric, it's hard not to smile yourself.
The more uptempo songs were perfect for sing-alongs and towards the end of the set, when Josh launched into "Empty Hearts," nearly all of the Metro was singing and clapping along with the chorus which warmed the empty place where my heart should be because, let's face it, there are few things more charming in life than sing-along choruses and handclaps, especially when it's done by an infectiously charming singer and hundreds of fans.
Josh's strong point is his knack for acoustic storytelling songs and when he launched into The Temptation of Adam on a completely blacked out stage, the crowd got so hushed, you could hear even the floor creek as people adjusted their weight. A new song, Another New World, was another acoustic stand out. Dark and haunting, Another New World, to me, was unlike most new songs that pepper band's set lists because it actually stuck with me. A few days after the show, I can still remember bits of the lyric and melody.
I'd heard previously that Josh Ritter was one to never disappoint in concert and not only am I anxious for him to to make his way back to the great midwest but I'm also thrilled that I can now attest to this for myself. Josh's next album is rumored to be about half way done. After that, I'm sure more touring shall commence.
Nice review! I saw him last year at Taste of Randolph and was amazed by how happy he seemed to be just to be on stage. He's a great performer.
Posted by: Frank | 08/06/2009 at 11:46 AM