Friday
night was a cold blustery one in Chicago; the kind that reminds you why they
call it the windy city. It was as noisy and busy as any other, but in this one
particular area there was warmth and silence. Right across from the John
Hancock Center is the Fourth Presbyterian Church. A beautiful old building
smack dab in the middle of all the big modern ones. I suppose it’s an acoustic musician’s dream to
play in a church, especially one as beautiful as this. I didn’t think I’d ever
see a show like this in a church, but sure enough, I sat in the pews on Friday
to see Josh Ritter perform on his acoustic tour.
It
felt odd seeing a concert in a church. Being seated to me is always different
too, and no constant flow of beer was definitely strange. I’ve seen Josh Ritter one before, at The Vic
last April, with the full band, so I was looking forward to seeing him in a
much more intimate setting, with two other band members.
Gregory Alan Isakov was the
opener, and he put a good mellow set, definitely a good choice to play before
Josh. The church was very dark, as opposed to a bright Sunday mass, with
changing amber lighting upon Gregory Alan Isakov like a bonfire would. Accompanied
by two other members, violin and cello, it was a beautiful, but melancholy set
that was well-executed with the music echoing through the church.
Also accompanied by two other
band mates, Josh Ritter had a stand up bass by his side, as well as another
guitarist. Josh put on yet another incredible show and I couldn’t have wished
for a better venue. Josh displayed a diverse set with tracks off of many of his
albums. I was incredibly excited that he played my personal favorite song, “The
Temptation of Adam”. Josh Ritter is one of the most talented singer-songwriters
that I have ever been able to experience live, with his vivid lyricism and
perfect finger picking.
One of the most special moments
of the night was when Josh asked to have the lights turned completely off and
played a couple songs. It isn’t common that you see an artist have the lights
completely off for an entire show, and this is the second time I’ve seen Josh
do this live. The first time I witnessed it was at The Vic when he played “In
the Dark” literally in the dark and without mics or amps. I must admit I was
hoping he would have done the same that night, but nevertheless, he put on a
fantastic show. When all of the lights were off, the only lights remaining in
the room were peeking through the stained glass from the outside Chicago
lights, and the exit signs, being the only piece of reality reminding us that
eventually the night would end and we would indeed have to exit this unique
venue, and this wonderfully unique show.
I would strongly recommend everyone to go and catch a Josh Ritter show
the next time he is in town, because it is always something special.
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| Photo taken by me via iPhone |
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