Showdate: September 10th, 2010
I am going into this show totally cold. Don’t know a track. Chris’ pick. Here’s the nice thing about rocking Musicfest with a fellow traveler. You can coast here and there. Because even building the schedule can get overwhelming at times when you are free to venue hop like we are this year. So, here I am at The Tallest Man On Earth show. For all I know? Could be Viking war chants, 1990′s era death metal, or spoken word poetry inspired by Gulliver’s Travels.
Judging from the gear collecting on stage, I’m not in for a rough hang. A roadie brings out a guitar stand holding two acoustic and two electric guitars. A chair, a single mic, and a stage amp is all that is populating the stage. The Doug Fir is jammed and “the ratio” (as we used to call it in college) is definitely looking good if you are a heterosexual male. Lots of women. Dressed very well. I even get hit on, so desperation is obviously seeping into the females (if you are single and can’t get a number at this show, you need to re-think your approach). Being the genius I am, I’m guessing this show will be a singer/songwriter who isn’t shy to talk about. Feelings.
Punk rock, kids.
Lights drop and The Tallest Man On Earth strides on stage. The Tallest Man On Earth is Kristian Matsson from Sweden. The name is obviously tongue-in-cheek. Dude is rocking in at about 5’3″ and looks to be 100lbs. U Got The Look. Dressed in a red-blue flannel, black Levi’s, and some brown boots that are obviously European.
TTMOE picks up an acoustic, checks his sound on his monitors, and that is when I immediately knew this dude was different. Not Helter Skelter different. Or walk around with a red Esprit bag slung over his shoulder different. I mean…confident. He strums his guitar while walking the stage, walking right up to the lip and staring at people in the crowd. Checking them out. Like he was saying hey. Communicating with just his facial expressions and music. Look, I know that sounds really dorky, but it is what it is. The guy is talented.
The set is mainly acoustic and slow to moderate tempo with folk flavor. It isn’t rocking. But that isn’t the point. I’ve never seen a performer control a crowd like The Tallest Man On Earth. With the exception of maybe a cappella singing, these type of performers always impress me the most with their guts. And The Tallest Man On Earth may be small in stature but he definitely has the confidence of a freaking giant.
Confidence. The word of the set. During the performance, TTMOE varies tempos if too many people are talking. Slows. Quiets. Looking out like he is saying. Are you ready? You’re here for me right? And when the crowd gets back into focus, the song continues. It is an interesting contrast to performers like Greg Dulli who just start ranting and chiding an audience. TTMOE isn’t afraid of chatting with the members of the crowd on mic or leading them to the obvious idiotic “Freebird” requests. During songs, he’ll hold a pregnant pause so all the hardcores are screaming and anticipating the lyric.
Confidence. Those ladies in the crowd? Calling out to ya’. During the set, I’m seeing alot of unconscious hair playing. And thumb chewing. I may not be a genius, but I know what that means. A pretty blonde girl is rocking the show to my left. She looks like she fell out of a J Crew ad and has the smile on her face the whole time that a morphine junkie locked in a fully stocked hospital pharmaceutical cabinet would be jealous of. TTMOE sings a lyric while staring right at her. Singing about taking a girl home during “Thousand Ways”. Baller. Shot caller. In between songs girls randomly scream out “I love you” here and there. Wow.
The songs really are good if you are into folk style music. My favorite song was “The King Of Spain” which was played on a beautiful black Gretsch guitar with a dull black finish. A gorgeous instrument and a song I’m definitely adding to my collection. Highly rec if you are into this style of music.
The songs lyrically paint pictures. The imagery can be amazing. Talking about painting houses with water during “Pistol Dream”, and the story of the man who wants to be “The King of Spain”? And on and on all set. Magic. I may not be as far gone as the J Crew junkie high on music to my left. But on the inside I’m feeling just as pretty. Beautiful set. Amazing performance. If you are already a convert to TTMOE, I’m with you.
(Dedicated to Mom. Look ma! No cuss words.)
