Music |
Josh Ritter (2)
By
Published: Jan 01, 2006
Category:
Rock
Josh Ritter
Bowery Ballroom, May 4, 2006
He came onstage and stood under a yellow spotlight. His hair looked just like Bob Dylan’s on the famous Blonde on Blonde cover. And I cringed, because although I love Dylan and believe the music he made from 1966 to 1968 is one of the glories of Western civilization, I desperately wanted Josh Ritter to prove, in live performance, that he isn’t a Dylan/Springsteen clone.
The light went off. Josh started to strum his acoustic guitar. The song was ‘Girl in the War,’ the obvious FM choice from his new CD, The Animal Years. Josh grinned. The Bowery Ballroom lit up. And the magic began.
For weeks, I had been urging you to listen to Josh Ritter. Sometimes I was fervent, and, I hope, convincing. Sometimes I was just rabid. I couldn’t quite figure out why I felt so invested in his writing and his music, but — you know me — I trusted that I was right and waited for you to tell me I wasn’t. And having once been wildly enthused about James Blunt — who, in concert, revealed himself to be a total stiff — I looked forward to Josh’s appearance at the Bowery Ballroom as a kind of test.
But after about ten seconds, there was no test. For one thing, I saw joy onstage as I have never seen it before. Josh’s music makes you happy — it’s smart and accomplished, and the writing is of the highest level, and the band is killer — but not nearly as happy as it makes him. Even in the tough songs, he’s ebullient, so full of the pleasure of making music that it really seems he might jump out of his skin. He sings full-throttle. He howls. He calls for a singalong. (I sang. And I hate singalongs.) And you can say he’s young, and you can say he’s a little corny, but after you say that, you have to also say — it works.
Josh sang a goofy tune ("The highway is for lovers, but it ain’t no friend to me.") He told funny stories. He was political for a minute, but gently — he offered a few words in praise of waking up confused.
Mostly, he sang his best songs. Surprising how many there are. How timeless they seem. How they make pictures in your head, so you see the guy whose girlfriend is serving in Iraq, feel what it’s like to dance to an irresistible song when you’re not a guy who dances, soar over the world like Josh’s "thin blue flame."
And the audience — remarkable. A rainbow group: lesbians, gay men, the handicapped, nerds, Upper East Siders. The common denominator: They looked smart. Alert. Caring. And peaceful. It was lovely to breathe the same air, to feel solidarity with them.
The next day, the head of the CIA resigned so abruptly he didn’t have time to cancel his meetings. More soldiers died in Iraq and, of course, many more Iraqis died. The President went for a bike ride. In another time, Josh Ritter playing the Bowery Ballroom would be a nice night out. In our time, it was a lifeline.
To buy ‘Animal Years’ from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy Golden Age of Radio’ from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy 4 songs Live’ from Amazon.com, click here.
