Tonight I went with a girlfriend to the House of Blues to see one of my favorite artists, Matt Wertz. I first discovered Matt in October 2008 when he opened for Gavin DeGraw. I thought he had great energy, he seemed down to earth and his voice was swoon-worthy. A few months later, in February 2009, he returned to Boston to headline a show at the Paradise Rock Club (read my review here). His opening act was a band called the Alternate Routes, and I loved them so much I wound up going to see their headlining show a few months later! Its been a true musical pay-it-forward.
Although this would be my third time seeing Matt perform, it was my first time at the new House of Blues (it used to be in Harvard Square). The venue is in the space formerly occupied by Avalon on Lansdowne Street across from Fenway Park. The floor plan is the same, as is the ladies room, which has an odd lay out and too many automatic machines. Since they re-did all the decor, you would think they could re-do the bathroom! Outside the ladies room, the walls sport fun murals in bright colors and evoke a true New Orleans vibe.
Tonight Matt was the opening act for Five for Fighting. He came on at 8:00 pm and played a short set. I felt like it was over in the blink of an eye! He had his usual, infectious energy, his Nashville charm, and of course the killer voice. Tonight I was also hugely impressed by his guitar chops!
He sang many of my favorites including: Carolina, Keep Faith (watch my video here), Everything's Right, 5:19, and Sweetness in Starlight (watch my video here). He also debuted some new music that was just released on his new 5 song EP that came out this week.
When the set was over, Matt stood at the merchandise table to greet his fans, take pictures and sign autographs. We patiently waited in line, but when Five for Fighting came on, the bouncers let everyone know Matt would be going backstage until the end of the show and then he would return to greet more fans. We didn't want to suffer through 90 minutes of music we weren't interested in, so we resolved we'd meet him at his next show.
You can keep up with Matt's tour by following him on Twitter @mattwertz.
