down to the shore
People often ask why I see the same artists in concert over and over (and over). “Aren’t all the shows the same?” Well, no. They evolve, release new albums and songs, try different arrangements, play new instruments, bring out different guests, and sometimes change their sound completely or shuffle their whole personnel lineup.
(Plus, even if they did keep things exactly the same, why wouldn’t you go over and over if you know it’s something you like? I mean, if you love chocolate cake, you don’t just suddenly declare it off-limits one day and decide you’re switching to coconut macaroons. Mmm, dessert.)
Last Friday’s show was my 12th time seeing Josh Ritter, and in addition to being my first time seeing him in my home state, it was also my first time seeing him perform as part of a trio. Many things not related to him or the show went wrong that night, but in the interest of not letting any of those take away from the performance, I’ll try to separate them from the core experience and concentrate on the music. Which was excellent.
The opener, David Wax Museum, was apparently having one of those nights, too, because the fiddler had forgotten her fiddle. So she just, you know, played the donkey jawbone. Awesome. Their sound was super-spirited old-timey folk with great energy and lovely harmonies. (And oh hey, fiddle-forgetter, aka Suz Slezak, is a Wellesley alumna, says the band website. High-five!)
I’m usually quite impatient with openers, but Josh (or whoever’s doing the picking) always finds really good ones. His shows have also made me a fan of Frightened Rabbit, Hem, and Winterpills, among others.
So, Josh Ritter in trio form. Some of the songs seemed completely reworked from the full-band versions, while others stuck more closely to the originals, but all sounded wonderful. “Southern Pacifica” was early on in the setlist but still stands out as a highlight. It had a much more stripped-down, wistful quality than the album version and was just beautiful.
“Change Of Time” was similarly less dramatic and full-blown than on the album while still carrying its full punch, especially during the bridge. (I will forever be in love with that song’s bridge.) And speaking of carrying a punch, “Rattling Locks”, played solo, was nearly shouted. I like the shouted version.
I was also happy to hear “Right Moves” — filled with energy and seemed to get the crowd excited, even though there were no horns — and “Me & Jiggs” — a favorite that he doesn’t seem to play as often as some other songs — as the closer. The new song, “Galahad” (think that’s what it’s called) is quickly becoming a favorite. One unfortunate setlist omission: “Lantern” — you know, the song that this blog is named after. Would’ve loved to hear that again.
There were lots of of older songs, too, including “Girl In The War,” which always brings a hushed chill no matter what form it’s played in. A friend and I once decided that “Kathleen” is, in Wallflowers terms, his “One Headlight.” Gotta play it, always gets the crowd going, not necessarily the best of the best of his songs, but it’s comfortingly familiar to hear it every time. It did the job on all counts.
Somehow I’d never been to the venue, Daniel Street, before. It was tiny, oddly shaped, and less than an hour away. Works for me. The other nice part about this show was that it started at 7:00 — the perfect antidote to my last concert outing.
Overall, great music, and let’s forget about the other parts.
The show did remind me to pre-order my copy of his book, which I’ll plan to read before going to San Francisco next month. In a happy coincidence, I’ll be out there for a business trip on the day he’s doing a reading and book-signing. After 12 shows, it would be nice to finally meet the man.
