josh ritter, park west - chicago 2/11/07

Last night I saw Josh Ritter play a solo acoustic show at the Park West in Chicago. ***edit*** I attended the show with my über awesome concert buddy, James, Jim, and the late-arriving, but candy toting, Renee. ***edit*** It was a seated show, with the tables lined up cabaret style, angled towards the stage. Stephen Kellogg was the opener, and he played a lively set, without the usual backup of his band the Sixers.

The stage was set with empty picture frames hung on the back wall. A string of lights snaked across the floor creating a warm, glowing circle. An old end table with an antique lamp and a glass of whiskey waited for the troubadour to take the stage. The general effect was that of a theatrical parlour.


I didn't write down a setlist, because I was too busy enjoying the music. Well, that and taking pictures. If someone to ask me my favorite album of last year, I would reply without hesitation, Josh Ritter's The Animal Years. He is undeniably one of the best live performers I have ever seen, and quite possibly the best songwriter of our generation. He composes lyrics with a poets ear, and he exudes pure joy and gratitude every time he steps on stage.























More photos at my flickr page.

If you get the opportunity to see Josh live, definitely go see him. And if you don't yet own any of his albums, rush out and get those as well. And if you have the time after a show to say hi to him, do it. He is incredibly attentive to each and every person who takes their time to talk to him. Truly a beautiful person, and beautiful music.

wings

if i had to pick one song i want to hear josh ritter play at his solo acoustic show this sunday, this would be it. it's songs like this that take him past singer to the realm of travelling bard, telling stories to enraptured listeners.

Wings by Josh Ritter

at night we crossed the border following a Black robe
to the edge of the reservation—to Cataldo Mission
where the saints and all the martyrs look down on dying converts
what makes the water holy she says is that that it's the closest thing to rain I stole a mule from Anthony—I helped Anne up upon it
and we rode to Coeur d'Alene—through Harrison and Wallace
they were blasting out the tunnels—making way for the light of learning
when Jesus comes a'calling she said he's coming round the mountain on a train
it's my home—last night I dreamt that I grew wings
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing
we floated on to Hanford on a lumber boat up river
past the fisheries and the milltowns like a stretch of future graveyards
she was driven to distraction—said I wonder what will happen
when they find out they're mistaken and the land is too changed to ever change
we waded through the marketplace—someone's ship had come in
there was silver and begonias—dynamite and cattle
there were hearts as big as apples and apples in the shape of Mary's heart
I said inside this gilded cage a songbird always looks so plain
it's my home—last night I dreamt that I grew wings
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing.
and so they came with cameras—breaking through the morning mist
press and businessmen—tycoons—Episcopal philanthropists
lost in their appraisal of the body of a woman
but all we saw were lowlands—clouds clung to mountains without strings
and at last we saw some people huddled up against
the rain that was descending like railroad spikes and hammers they were headed for the border—walking and then running
then they were gone into the fog but Anne said underneath their jackets she saw wings

we were dancing to a song that i'd heard...

last night was the josh ritter / jamie cullum show. oddly enough, the first time i saw josh ritter play was at sxsw, and i was standing right by jamie cullum in the audience. i found a text message in my phone the other day that i sent to brandy from the show that said "surreal. jamie cullum watching josh ritter."

my uber concert buddy, james, was unable to attend the show and all my last minute attempts to procure alternate james fill-ins failed. so i had two options: A) actually attend a concert with my husband and pay a sitter, but arrive late to the show and miss ritter. or B) take the money i would have paid the sitter and take the kids to their third all-ages show. (first being glen phillips, dan wilson, and garrison starr and the second being nickel creek.)

if you know me at all, you know the option i chose. duh.

it was kinda rough seeing ritter as the opener. his set was painfully, agonizingly short. but, since the majority of the audience was there to see the man my friend k calls "mr. showtunes" it turned out to be easy access to the ritter.


damn hair flopped in my face - gah!

the girls and i went down and said hi to josh in between his set and jamie's. he is quite possibly the warmest, nicest, most well-mannered singer i have ever met. he talked to both of the girls and gave me a monster bear hug afterwards.

he asked the girls their names when cheyenne asked him to sign the cd, and this is what he wrote:



we left about halfway through jamie's set so we could get the girls to bed (school night, waw) and on the way out, josh was still standing in the lobby talking to people. cheyenne had picked up a flyer for josh's next show, and told me she wanted him to sign it. i told her that was fine, but she would have to ask him herself. she stood behind the other people standing there, and he saw her and said "hi cheyenne" and she handed him the flyer and asked if he would sign it. he wrote, " Cheyenne... One day we will meet again...Love, Josh Ritter." i got another hug out of the deal too.

side note: the man wears really nice suits. how he doesn't melt on stage is beyond me.

fyi for my chicago peeps (and mrs. labeef-ryzin if you will be in town in february) josh will be playing a seated solo acoustic show at park west on sunday, february 11. i will be at that concert, join me.