February 4 2007: Josh Ritter, Stephen Kellogg - Latchis Theater, Brattleboro VT

So this was a really, really nice show. Ritter was playing solo, which solved all the problems he/I had with the show last year in Shelburne Falls, and I'd never seen him without a band before. "Harrisburg" was great to hear again despite some disagreement between myself and Mr. Ritter on an appropriate strum pattern. "Monster Ballads" and "Kathleen" were both perfect, and the set-closer was "Here at the Right Time" and I don't think I've ever enjoyed that song as much as I did watching him play it there with just his guitar and voice, singing and playing on the edge of the stage with the lights way down and no amplification. Chariots, if you're out there please swing low.

And the theatre was beautiful - pretty much the same size/setup as the Aladdin, with old Greek-type statues all over the place and constellations painted onto the dark blue ceiling.

But despite all this I kind of fucked things up and didn't get to appreciate the show as much as I think I could/should have. I went up with Adam and Sairi, and we met up with their friend Drew, and we all had a really good time drinking some really good BBC beers before the show. And it was lots of fun, but then the show started and Josh Ritter just isn't the kind of guy you want to watch play near-perfect songs while feeling the alcohol buzz around in your frontal lobe. Songs like "Girl in the War" were probably much better than I remember/realized them being. And in that sort of half-buzz state I like things short and to the point, none of which "Thin Blue Flame" is. This is all very frustrating in retrospect. But how does a guy turn down a beer with friends? How?

However, as a bit of an aside and to perhaps justify the night a little bit, it crosses my mind that I've put Josh Ritter on waaaaaaaay to high of a pedestal. It's pretty likely that really pulling off "Thin Blue Flame" live is nearly impossible, and any performance of "Girl in the War" that isn't a note-for-note recreation of the first time I heard it a few years ago in Portland is likely scientifically provable to be inferior.

It really was a great show though. I paid $18 for a ticket, making it at one of the most expensive shows I've seen in a while, but I'd have paid twice that and still felt like I was getting the good end of the deal.