I was hyped to see Josh Ritter perform at the El Rey Theatre this past Thursday in Los Angeles. Surprisingly, after seeing the show, I actually walked away a bigger Josh Ritter fan. He has a genuine love for his audience and his music that I have never seen in a live performance.
Throughout most of the show he sang with eyes closed and a coy smile on his face. Near the end of the show he asked the entire audience to scream along with the band, which we did happily, and he used all this energy to segway into the next song. He had this sincerity that became more apparent with each song he sang. I couldn’t stop singing along the entire night and when he sang “Thin Blue Flame” I’ll admit that I did cry a little. Just a little.
I also got an email inviting me to attend the Artists Den performance the following night at the Natural History Museum along with 149 other Ritter fans. Two nights of Josh!!!! The best thing about that night, to be sure, was the free booze provided by Grey Goose and everyone there was drinking (even Josh). The show was taped by a professional (looking) film crew and we were told that the performance would be featured on the Ovation Channel in January 2008. Although Josh didn’t sing his heart out as he had the night before, he definitely put on a good show and stayed late to meet with fans (something he’s famous for and fans appreciate). If you’re interested in catching him live, the tour dates are as follows: