Matt & Matt & Kate

Last Thursday, I drove out to Madison for a Matt Nathanson concert. It had two opening acts: Kate Earl and Matt W-something. I had convinced a friend, Ann, to come for the drive with me; it was our first road trip.

I took the afternoon to study, so we were able to get on the road, sharply at 5 o’clock. Ann’s a teacher so she had been home at 4. Even with our early departure though, we hit traffic leaving Milwaukee. But really, the worst Milwaukee traffic is better than Chicago traffic at 8 pm on a Sunday. We had a good ride. Ann and I have mutual friends and we were able to compare stories on them. Ann was also planning a Halloween party so we talked about that. The conversation was pretty mundane and didn’t really get good until we each had a drink at the pub where we ate dinner. When I say, “we” I mean Ann as she is small and it only takes one drink for her conversations to go into normally taboo waters.

The concert began at 7:30. We were in the doors at 7:35. But alas, we only heard one of Kate Earl’s songs. We were buying drinks during “Hero” and only made it to the “stage area” for “Officer.” I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of her set. But it was nice after the show when I talked to her at her merchandise booth. I asked her to sign my CD and Ann took it from her purse. Kate asked, “Did you bring this with you? Did you buy this in a store? That’s great.”

I replied, “Yes, the radio in Milwaukee plays you all the time.” But I don’t think that she was impressed with our 90-mile trek to see her perform. I suppose 90 miles to an Alaskan is nothing. When that didn’t get much reaction, I said, “My friends saw you last week in Boston and thought you were great."

But I dropped that train of thought though, because Kate only said, “You bought my CD in a store. That’s great.” She was cool. She signed my CD “To Donny [heart] Kate Earl. So, apparently she has already forgotten Tom.

The first Matt on the stage wasn’t as bad as I had expected. Tom and Felecia had me prepared for torture, but it was ok. The girls sharing our table told us that they actually came to the concert for Matt W-something; that he plays on campus sometimes. Most of the audience knew who he was and sang along to his songs. Ann thought he was adorable. But that may have been the beer talking. He did have a short guy playing a guitar next to him. I only mention this because I thought the guy was sitting down, but he wasn’t – just very short.

Matt Nathanson made it to the stage, but he wasn’t alone. He had a band. Huh? Where’s the cellist? I want Matt Fish, not drums, rhythm guitar, and bass. I thought about the other performances of his that I’ve seen in Boston, and part of the attraction was that it was just MN and his guitar (sometimes accompanied by cello) putting on a show. Sometimes quiet, sometimes surprisingly rocking, but never with all the extras that tend to cover up lyrics and melody.

MN mostly played his own songs. We didn’t hear any Bon Jovi or Boston. Is this because he’s gaining popularity, or is this a different audience in Wisconsin? The only covers we heard were Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Prince’s “Starfish & Coffee,” and James’ “Laid.” But I don’t count the last two as covers because he plays those all the time.

I was also surprised at how lewd MN was. I don’t remember that. At one point he went on and on about the drummer’s penis. It wasn’t cute, like a story about “the best chicken you’ve ever had” just dirty. Actually there was a lot of talk about genitalia. It was somewhat awkward. Those of you who saw him in Boston last week, did you have a similar experience? Has MN changed over time, or just over distance?

I went to MN’s website recently and noticed that he has a new tour stop – in Milwaukee. I didn’t have to drive the 90 miles; I can walk to his next concert. And the concert is in 2 weeks, on November 15^th. I’m not sure if I want to go. I had a great time in Madison, it just seems too soon. Also, it’s at Marquette University, in their auditorium, and I’m not sure if I want to sit in a theater with a bunch of college freshmen. But, that’ll be a week after my exam and if I can find a buddy to with me, I think I’ll cough up the money.