Take a seat in the front row with...
Matt Nathanson w/Charlotte Martin
The Call, Providence R.I
October 30, 2004
By: Nicole Roberge
San Francisco native Matt Nathanson played for a packed crowd in Providence the night before Halloween, which was of course the setting for an unusual show, but Nathanson turned out the performance that his fans have come to know and love—one of vibrant music, compelling lyrics, and of course, a little laughter. Armed with a full band behind him and his twelve-string guitar, he energized the audience immediately with “Pretty The World,” and from there went non-stop through his set. Joking with the audience that they were going to play the entirety of “Autobiography,” Ashlee Simpson’s debut, he went into her song “Pieces of Me” jesting at the fact that he did not have to lip-sync (unlike Simpson who was caught lip-syncing on Saturday Night Live.) Nathanson also played snippets of “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Jessie’s Girl,” and while they were crowd-pleasers, it was Nathanson’s own songs that captivated the crowd.
Playing songs off his most recent release, “Beneath These Fireworks,”
(Universal) Nathanson’s set was highlighted by “Curve of The Earth,” “I
Saw” and “Suspended” off the album. He also touched on many older songs
from his repertoire, including the prolific “Never Forget My Memories”
and melancholy “Continue Dreaming.” Nathanson performs with a great
fervor that becomes instilled within the crowd. Fans delighted at
hearing the older, usually less-played songs, while in between enjoyed
his always-comedic banter. Nathanson knows how to captivate a
crowd—whether it be propelling himself completely into a song,
interacting with the crowd, or prompting a laugh or two…or three or
four… For the two hours he was on stage, he had their complete
attention.
Nathanson also delighted the crowd with his cover of the Jame’s song “Laid” which was featured on the American Wedding Soundtrack. Prior to the song, Nathanson explained the brilliance of the third line of “Laid”(I’ll let you look that up on your own), which only further garnered fans’ attention. Nathanson is a striking performer, who understands music and how to express it to the people in front of him. He is a force to be reckoned with on stage, his music and personality blending together to create a perfect performance for fans of any genre, his accessible music easily conveyed and projected, and ultimately, appreciated.
Charlotte Martin, who
opened the show, was stunning as usual and dazzled the crowd with such
songs as “On Your Shore” and “Madman” off of her RCA debut, On Your
Shore. The crowd received Martin, who was to ring in her birthday
at midnight, by singing “Happy Birthday” as she walked out on stage to
the gifts that adorned her piano. The LA-based songstress melds her
classical piano training with her operatic voice to filter out graceful
and lush pop ballads. The most striking song of the evening was
“Darkest Hour”—a song that surfaced after the release of her album. In
it she sings, “Waiting, I’m waiting to hold/Nothing cause everyone
knows/Nothing’s much easier to touch.” Martin’s candid lyricism and
emotive vocals carry the song as it dances along her chiming keys and it
is no wonder Martin is greeted with such esteem from the crowd.
Together, Matt Nathanson and Charlotte Martin presented performances full of grandeur, and anyone fortunate enough to see them on tour together will see a show of exhilarating measure.
top photo: Erin Russell
live shots: Emily Courville