Live Rewind: Matt Nathanson at The Great American Music Hall - 8.14.07

Continuing with my concert flashback posts, I did not catch any shows the spring of 2007...that was because I was studying abroad in Budapest, HUNGARY! It was a semester (that felt very short and went by very quickly now) of learning about cultures, histories, foods, and European musical tastes. In terms of concert opportunities, there was one that some of my fellow class-mates were buzzing about: that Shakira would be playing in Budapest in March, but the tickets were ridiculously priced, at around US$90 a pop. Oh and the German band Tokio Hotel played a show in April.

Fast forward several months, when I came back to the city, I couldn't wait to attend more shows.

One of the best things about being a fan promoter of an artist is the swag. Nothing can be better than attending a show of one of your favorite artists -- for free. I was afforded an opportunity to see my favorite singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson perform at the Great American Music Hall on his official CD release day of his latest album Some Mad Hope on August 14, 2007. Because I had a "+1" ticket, I introduced the Boston-born and San Francisco resident to my RA friend Rochelle.

This would be my third Matt show. The first was in 2005 and the second was in 2006 (a sit-down show at the Swedish American Music Hall). The private concert was sponsored by radio station KFOG and was the official release party promoting the new record. Matt performed an exciting concert, in which he performed several new songs from the album, including my new favorites "Gone", "Car Crash", and "Detroit Waves". He did play a few favorites like "Angel" and "Suspended".

Videos:
Matt Nathanson plays "Gone" during KFOG's

Matt sings his first single "Car Crash"

At the end of the show, Rochelle and I got to chance to take photos at his meet-and-greet. Matt autographed a CD cover and a fellow fan took this pic of the three of us. I must confess, he's seriously the closest I have to being my personal rock idol.

I really love his new album and I sincerely hope he gets the breakthrough I know he is capable of achieving.

His voice delivers on rock cuts like "To The Beat Of Our Noisy Hearts" and confessional and introspective on songs like "Heartbreak World" and "Bulletproof Weeks".

It is signature Matt Nathanson...
and it's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

Go BUY the album on Amazon.com, kids!