Mobile
Friday, May 14, 2010
Live Reviews / News Live review: Josh Ritter
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, May 14, 2010 at 3:09 PM
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band with Dawn Landes & The Hounds
McGlohon Theatre
May 19, 2010
The Deal: Americana singer-songwriter Josh Ritter takes to the stage of McGlohon Theatre and delivers a long refreshing set of songs. Opening the show was folk-country artist (Also, Ritter’s wife) Dawn Landes.
The Good: Dawn Landes played a set of zippy tunes. Bells jingled and jangled on the stage during songs like “Little Miss Holiday” (inspired by the film Taxi Driver) and “Kids In A Play.” The lyrically loony and the experimental “Picture Show” was a change of pace, while the set picked up in sound during Landes’ cover of Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents.” The repetitive chorus line of “Bodyguard” was easily memorized and could be pegged as the one in the set that’s most likely to get stuck in your head.
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band performed an impressive and long set of around 20 songs. Early in the performance Ritter played the single “Change Of Time,” off his latest album, So Runs The World Away. He played others from the new album, but saved room for a mix of songs from his CD history. For the song “In The Dark,” which featured Landes, Ritter had the lights turned off and he also stepped aside from the mic, giving the number a quiet, intimate and dark feel. Before playing “Another New World,” a member of The Hounds emerged on stage to do a reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee.” During Ritter's "Harrisburg" the show turned humorous when the bass player digressed into singing a portion Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." The performance ended with both bands joined on stage for “Wait For Love” - chirpy nature sounds chimed along in the background.
The Bad: If you had an early bedtime, you probably didn’t make it due to the long running length of this concert. But, my philosophy is the more songs the merrier, so no complaints here.
The Verdict: Whether you’re a hardcore Ritter fan or someone new to his music, this show had the zest to keep you entertained throughout its entirety. With both Landes and Ritter chatting to the audience between some songs and the intimate feel of McGlohon Theatre, the concert felt a little like something from VH1’s show Storytellers.
Dawn Landes & The Hounds Setlist
Sweet Heart Of The Rodeo
I Don’t Need No Man
Money In The Bank
Twilight
Tired Of This Life
Little Miss Holiday
Southern Accents (cover, by Tom Petty)
Picture Show
Young Girl
I’m In Love With The Night
Bodyguard
Kids In A Play
Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band Setlist
Southern Pacifica
Change Of Time
Rumors
Folk Bloodbath
Right Moves
Good Man
Locks
The Curse
Lark
Monster Ballads
In The Dark
Golden Age Of Radio
Girl In The Water
Another New World
Harrisburg
Lantern
To The Dogs Or Whoever
Moon River (cover, originally by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini)
Hello Starling
Wait For Love
Speaking of...
Comments (2)
Showing 1-2 of 2
Latest in Vibes
-
Chvrches ups the energy
Oct 17, 2018 -
Florence & The Machine offer a vocal showcase in Charlotte area
Oct 4, 2018 -
Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends entertain with wit, classic arts
Oct 2, 2018 - More »
More by Anita Overcash
-
Farewell; my time at The Loaf
Dec 28, 2016 -
Milling around Haberdish
Dec 28, 2016 -
Today's Top 5: Thursday
Dec 22, 2016 - More »
-
Frank Ocean tops Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll
Annual critics list creates requisite buzz
-
Beloved Charlotte School of Rock Instructor Dies
