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MATT MAESON SETLIST Nelsonwood Lane Beggar's Song (Encore) Soma MATT MAESON TOUR DATES OCT18 SLOWDOWN OMAHA, NE |
Unassuming, in the best possible way--
Some musical acts will lean on extravagant lighting or stage sets to embellish their live shows; others use smoke, pyro, video, and props to support their particular musical vision, but often it’s the best acts that ignore all the window dressing and simply perform highly relatable, melodic, and singable songs, to make the most impact in concert.
Such was the case at a very sold-out Truman in downtown Kansas City, as Virginia singer-songwriter Matt Maeson came to town on his Never Had to Leave Tour, in support of the album of the same name (out via Neon Gold/Atlantic Records).
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The evening began with a quick moving forty-minute set from rising alt-rock band All Get Out, originally formed in Charleston, SC and led by frontman Nathan Hussey, in support of full-length, Kodak, a self-made, self-produced effort released in June.
The four-piece plays emotive, aggressive songs and shows an obvious passion of the new record, which they feel truly reflects the sound of who they are, dedicating two-thirds of the set to the newer songs. As a result of their spirited performance, they gained many new fans in the sold-out crowd, not including the headliner who was proudly wearing their tour shirt, for his own set.
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Anyone that thought Matt Maeson might still have been a musical secret, would have been completely mistaken, as evidenced by the very crowded venue, brisk sales all night at merch, and people outside still begging the box office after the main set had started, to somehow let them in.
Maeson has been on a consistent rise since first turning heads with his initial single, “Cringe” in 2016 and we really started noticing in 2018, after a couple of successful EP releases. He seemed aware and amazed at his success as well, mentioning midway through his eighty-five minute set, about a memorable previous acoustic show a few blocks away at recordBar and also being at this same venue, supporting Bishop Briggs.
The diehards that arrived early to secure their place along the front barricade sang along to every word of every song, beginning with the opening autobiographical “Nelsonwood Lane”- “It’s good to be back!” Maeson wryly smiled after, eliciting loud screams from the crowd.
As stage lights turned crimson, it didn’t take long for the crowd to sound louder than the four-piece band, singing to “Blood Runs Red” from the new record. Maeson’s songs are highly emotional, often building to a crescendo and often have some spiritual subtext or reference, likely the result of growing up with a strong Christian upbringing.
Playing the redemption-seeking “Cringe” relatively early in the set, the song itself had a slow burn rise, eventually going Platinum and topping the Billboard Alternative Charts but not until 2019, becoming the longest-running number one single by a new artist, of that year.
Maeson turned more reflective on the new record’s “A Memory Away” singing “watching the days turn to decades, every moment’s just a memory away”, then went back to 2017 for the desperation of “Straight Razor”, expertly paired with its lyrical partner of sorts, “Cut Deep” from the new album.
The new album’s title track references a spacecraft coming back, perhaps a subtle reference to the 1960’s astronaut action figure spelled almost the same (Major Matt Mason) and two songs from the new record, “Cry Baby” and “Sanctified” were performed more acoustically by Maeson, giving added weight to their lyrical content.
“I know my geography!” Maeson teased before the acoustic set, teasing how great it was to be playing in Kansas, just to get a rise out of the crowd, knowing full well he was located on Missouri side.
As the band rejoined, the energy elevated as well, with the crowd sang along to the lead single from the new record, “Problems”, followed by Maeson’s second Platinum Alternative chart-topping song, “Hallucinogenics”, a revelatory journey about conquering failures, and which still receives regular local airplay, over four years after its initial release and two years since its remix featuring Lana Del Rey.
Though the encore was only a single song, 2019’s “Beggar’s Song” was one that several in the crowd had been yelling for all evening, a resilient track about being down on your luck and destitute, but still positive enough about the outlook, to know there would somehow be a way out to better days, “Be damned if I let it keep me down” Maeson sang, sending the crowd out on an optimistic note.
Being mid-October, we’ll say it was no tricks (lighting, staging, wardrobe, effects), only treats (genuine heartfelt songs, emotive delivery, solid musicianship) that won the day as Matt Maeson conquered this sold-out 1200 capacity former car dealership building, en route to even bigger venues.
(click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
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| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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