Saturday, May 17, 2008

Josh Ritter Can't Stop Cheesin'


Thursday night, we (along with Kerns, Heidi, and Bop) went to the Music Mill to see Josh Ritter perform. I'd seen Josh Ritter once before in Seattle several months ago, and it was a pretty special show. It was a sold out show at the Showbox, which he clearly had not expected to sell out. Plus, because he is from Idaho, he had a lot of family there, including his mom. To top it all off, it was his birthday. So that show had a lot going for it, and it was an amazing performance. I had talked up how good he was, but I didn't really expect it to be the same on a Thursday in Indianapolis. But shockingly, it was almost as good.

Ritter has a whole lot of really good songs, so that always helps. He also has a pretty kick-ass band, including a bass player with an old-timey mustache. But what really sells the performance is that about 75% of the time he's on stage, he is grinning from ear to ear, as if whatever is happening at that moment is the most awesome thing he's ever experienced. Such enthusiasm really translates to the audience well, and makes for a great show. So the bottom line is, if you ever have the chance to see Josh Ritter, you should definitely do it. Below is a video of them playing Letterman.

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