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!

Live Rewind: Matt Nathanson at the Great American Music Hall, 11.11.05

Three days after seeing Jason Mraz, I attended what would be one of my favorite concerts to date.

I discovered singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson through a combination of the now-defunct Mytunes and Amazon.com and instantly connected with his EP When Everything Meant Everything. Although his first major label album, Behind These Fireworks seemed a bit more unnecessarily polished, Matt still proves he has the star quality and talent needed for a breakthrough. His blend of instantly catchy pop-rock hooks, emotion and cynicism, and memorable lines like "I can still smell summer on your skin / I can still remember giving in, wrapped all up in your hips and in your sheets". But Matt Nathanson on CD is nothing compared to Matt Nathanson live, in concert, plugged or unplugged.

The opening acts were Kate Earl and Matt Wertz whose performance for the song "Everthing's Right" I especially enjoyed.

If it could be possible, Matt was better live than his recordings, since he is such an unlikely enigmatic, charismatic and ridiculously candid musician. He doesn't simply perform songs. He offers anecdotes on his personality and life as he prefaces his performances. And boy does he pique people's attention by using intermittent profanity throughout the night. Matt has such a potty mouth, but it is never used in a vulgar, demeaning way of course. It just added to the ridiculousness of stories and past loves behind many of his introspective songs.

Among my favorite performances that night were: "Lucky Boy", "Sad Songs", and the encore song where he sang a haunting acoustic version of "Suspended" right up-close with the audience.

After the show, my tag-along concert buddy Lizzy told me to employ a strategy she has perfected in the past in her attempts to meet the band or artists post-show. She shared that patience proved fruitful during her days at Hanson concerts. But laugh not, her method worked. After waiting several minutes outside the venue, a smattering of Matt fans gathered with a hope of doing an unoffical meet-and-greet. When I finally spoke with Matt, I remember telling him that I really ejoyed his music, like any fan-dork and he graciously posed for a few photos and autographed my copy of his album cover. It was an awesome moment that capped a great concert!

08.18.07

Ray's Earworm Top 40
For the week ending Saturday August 18, 2007

TW= this week's position
LW= last week
Δ= change
PP= peak position
WC= weeks on the chart
(#1) = weeks at top spot

TW LW Δ PP WC Artist - Title (#1)

01 06 +05 01 04 Matt Nathanson - Car Crash (1 week at #1)
02 12 +10 02 02 Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
03 02 -01 01 09 Jon McLaughlin - Beautiful Disaster (1 week at #1)
04 03 -01 03 04 Paramore - Misery Business
05 01 -04 01 04 Matt Nathanson - Gone (1 week at #1)
06 04 -02 01 09 Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry (1 week at #1)
07 08 +01 07 03 Carrie Underwood - So Small
08 13 +05 08 02 Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You
09 05 -04 05 09 Lifehouse - First Time
10 18 +08 10 02 You Are The Music In Me - Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens
11 11 N C 09 04 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music
12 09 -03 09 09 Michael Bublé - Everything
13 10 -03 10 05 Aqualung - Pressure Suit
14 DEBUT 14 01 A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover
15 17 +02 15 02 KT Tunstall - Hold On
16 07 -09 01 09 Boys Like Girls - The Great Escape (1 week at #1)
17 15 -02 03 09 Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah
18 16 -02 01 09 Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump - Clothes Off! (1 week at #1)
19 DEBUT 19 01 We The Kings - Check Yes Juliet
20 23 +03 01 09 Yellowcard - Light Up The Sky (1 week at #1)
21 14 -07 02 06 My American Heart - The Shake (Awful Feeling)
22 24 +02 01 09 Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone (1 week at #1)
23 20 -03 14 05 Sara Bareilles - Love Song
24 21 -03 05 09 The Almost - Say This Sooner
25 22 -03 03 09 Fall Out Boy - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
26 29 +03 26 04 Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call
27 25 -02 25 04 Little Big Town - A Little More You
28 26 -02 03 08 Rooney - When Did Your Heart Go Missing
29 27 -02 15 09 Cartel - Lose It
30 19 -11 13 03 Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me
31 30 -01 01 09 Rihanna feat. Jay-Z - Umbrella (1 week at #1)
32 28 -04 06 07 Kat DeLuna feat. Elephant Man - Whine Up
33 31 -02 13 07 Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. - The Way I Are
34 DEBUT 34 01 Mika - Erase
35 37 +02 08 09 The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go
36 33 -03 10 05 Fabolous feat. Rihanna - First Time
37 36 -01 06 09 Gwen Stefani - 4 in the Morning
38 35 -03 14 06 Relient K - The Best Thing
39 32 -07 23 06 Hilary Duff - Stranger
40 40 N C 31 09 Elliott Yamin - Wait For You

Bubbling Under: 41 to 45
41 38 -03 08 09 Kelly Clarkson - Sober
42 41 -01 13 08 Paula DeAnda - When It Was Me
43 45 +02 37 05 +44 - 155
44 42 -02 17 08 Vanessa Hudgens - Say OK
45 -- R E 04 04 Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls

Falling Off (peak in bold)
Paula DeAnda feat. Bow Wow - 5 weeks: 33 18 24 27 34
Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive - 8 weeks: 27 20 29 34 40 39 40 39
JC Chasez - You Ruined Me - 7 weeks: 33 14 21 37 41 44 43
Kelly Clarkson - Can I Have A Kiss - 6 weeks: 36 27 22 30 34 44

Notes
Matt Nathanson comes in for the second straight week on top, however no same song has been able to consecutively hit the top spot yet. Last week's "Gone" claimed the top spot, but this week, his current single "Car Crash" gains momentum after the release of his latest album, Some Mad Hope this past week. In a weaker period, Sean Kinston's "Beautiful Girls" is able to make a return to the chart after a one week absence, at #45, and Rihanna's "Shut Up And Drive", one of the original songs from the first week's chart finally falls off this week.

Biggest Debut
A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover (debut at #14)

Biggest Jump
Colbie Caillat (#2, up 10 spots from #12 last week)

Biggest Decline
Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me (#30, down 11 spots from #19 last week)

Upcoming Songs On The Bubble
The Bravery - Believe
Motion City Soundtrack - This Is For Real
Michael Bublé - Lost
Colbie Caillat - Oxygen

08.11.07

Ray's Earworm Top 40
For the week ending Saturday August 11, 2007

TW= this week's position
LW= last week
Δ= change
PP= peak position
WC= weeks on the chart
(#1) = weeks at top spot

TW LW Δ PP WC Artist - Title (#1)

01 03 +02 01 03 Matt Nathanson - Gone (1 week at #1)
02 01 -01 01 08 Jon McLaughlin - Beautiful Disaster (1 week at #1)
03 12 +09 03 03 Paramore - Misery Business
04 04 N-C 01 08 Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry (1 week at #1)
05 07 +02 05 08 Lifehouse - First Time
06 05 -01 05 03 Matt Nathanson - Car Crash
07 02 -05 01 08 Boys Like Girls - The Great Escape (1 week at #1)
08 11 +03 08 02 Carrie Underwood - So Small
09 26 +17 09 08 Michael Bublé - Everything
10 16 +06 10 04 Aqualung - Pressure Suit
11 09 -02 09 03 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music
12 DEBUT 12 01 Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
13 DEBUT 13 01 Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You
14 06 -08 02 05 My American Heart - The Shake (Awful Feeling)
15 10 -05 03 08 Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah
16 08 -08 01 07 Gym Class Heroes feat. Patrick Stump - Clothes Off! (1 week at #1)
17 DEBUT 17 01 KT Tunstall - Hold On
18 17 -01 17 02 You Are The Music In Me - Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens
19 13 -06 13 02 Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me
20 14 -06 14 04 Sara Bareilles - Love Song
21 15 -06 05 08 The Almost - Say This Sooner
22 20 -02 03 08 Fall Out Boy - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs
23 18 -05 01 08 Yellowcard - Light Up The Sky (1 week at #1)
24 25 +01 01 08 Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone (1 week at #1)
25 29 +04 25 03 Little Big Town - A Little More You
26 19 -07 03 07 Rooney - When Did Your Heart Go Missing
27 23 -04 15 08 Cartel - Lose It
28 21 -07 06 06 Kat DeLuna feat. Elephant Man - Whine Up
29 42 +13 29 03 Maroon 5 - Wake Up Call
30 24 -06 01 08 Rihanna feat. Jay-Z - Umbrella (1 week at #1)
31 28 -03 13 06 Timbaland feat. Keri Hilson & D.O.E. - The Way I Are
32 31 -01 23 05 Hilary Duff - Stranger
33 22 -11 10 04 Fabolous feat. Rihanna - First Time
34 27 -07 18 05 Paula DeAnda feat. Bow Wow - Easy
35 33 -02 14 04 Relient K - The Best Thing
36 35 -01 06 08 Gwen Stefani - 4 in the Morning
37 36 -01 08 08 The Bravery - Time Won't Let Me Go
38 32 -06 08 08 Kelly Clarkson - Sober
39 40 +01 20 08 Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive
40 39 -01 31 08 Elliott Yamin - Wait For You

Bubbling Under: 41 to 45
41 45 -03 13 07 Paula DeAnda - When It Was Me
42 41 -01 17 07 Vanessa Hudgens - Say OK
43 44 +01 14 07 JC Chasez - You Ruined Me
44 34 -10 22 06 Kelly Clarkson - Can I Have A Kiss
45 37 -08 37 04 +44 - 155

Falling Off (peak in bold)
Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls - 3 weeks: / / / / 31 4 30
Nelly Furtado - Do It - 4 weeks: / / / 35 30 32 38
Paolo Nutini - Last Request - 2 weeks: / / / / / 36 43

Biggest Debut
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly (debut at #12)

Biggest Jump
Michael Bublé - Everything (#9, up 17 spots from #26 last week)

Biggest Decline
Fabolous feat. Rihanna - First Time (#33, down 11 spots from #22 last week)

Upcoming Songs On The Bubble
Kevin Michael feat. Wyclef - It Don't Make Any Difference To Me
Backstreet Boys - Inconsolable
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Your Guardian Angel