Photos by Merideth C. and review by Andrea Dutkiewicz
Andrew McMahon led off the show. He spent most of his set behind the piano weaving in tunes from throughout his career, including songs from his time in Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, with some of his new solo tracks. He waxed poetic about becoming a father before his rendition of “Cecilia and the Satellite,” a song written for his daughter. It was touching watching so many fans in their Jack’s Mannequin tees getting lost in the music.
Matt Nathanson stole the show with his bubbly personality and sense of humor. He was there to have fun and wanted to make sure that the audience had fun, too! Matt sprinkled in some covers during his set, including Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” George Michael’s “Faith,” and Olivia Newton-John’s “You’re the One That I Want.” During his rendition of “Run,” we were witness to a marriage proposal which left Nathanson a little speechless. His loss for words didn’t last long, though. He enlightened the crowd with his theory that there is a tiny Whitney Houston inside of all of us and encouraged the audience to let her out during his performance of “Room At The End Of The World,” which he mixed with Whitney’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Nathanson played to the “American Pie” and “One Tree Hill” fans with his renditions of “Laid” and “Wedding Dress,” and sandwiched his latest single “Headphones” between his hits “Faster” and “Come On Get Higher” to round out his set. This was my first time seeing Matt Nathanson and I’ll be sure to check him out again when he rolls back into town.
Gavin DeGraw rounded out the night with a set full of newer tunes from his most recent album, “Make a Move.” A few fan favorites were thrown in for good measure, as well. DeGraw had a lot less banter with the crowd than Matt Nathanson did; each song was followed by an interlude leading directly into the next. He lead the night off, appropriately, with “Leading Man,” complete with a lit staircase, light show, and smoke. I’ve seen Gavin DeGraw multiple times and have become accustom to his typically modest stage sets, so this was new to me. He made sure to play his radio hits “Chariot,” “We Belong Together,” “In Love With a Girl,” “I Don’t Wanna Be,” and “Not Over You”. I was hoping to hear more songs from his earlier albums, but that won’t discourage me from seeing him again and again. DeGraw hung out on the stage after the show signing autographs and chatting with fans. It’s great to see an artist who genuinely appreciates his fans.
Andrew McMahon, Matt Nathanson, and Gavin DeGraw are a great mix of artists to be touring together. Their fan bases are very similar, making for a great mix of crowd. My friends and I had an Andrew McMahon fan seated behind us and a trio of Matt Nathanson fans next to us. This was a really fun show that I would recommend to anyone.
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