Josh Ritter
Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin, October 19th 2002
Live acts can best be judged by how they deal with open spaces. Last seen on
these shores closing the Witnness Cafe Stage in July, Josh Ritter provided a
true oasis for those fleeing the obnoxious attitude and excessive ego emanating
from the Main Stage-bound Gallagher brothers. Tonight's sold out show proves
Josh can fill a place with punters, but what about the all-important atmosphere
pervading the room's empty spaces?
A solitary figure onstage, Josh's easy-going, ah-shucks attitude and genuine
charisma expand faster than ego to fill the room and he instantly bridges the
gap between artist and audience. Sporting a brown suit the colour of rich,
Midwest American soil, he wears his country influences on this sleeve. No, it's
not just the ghosts of Patsy Cline and Townes Van Zandt who seep into his songs,
he's also influenced by the countryside that stretches between the East Coast
and his native Idaho; a place of expansive horizons where skies are high and
roads are long and dusty.
Several new, country-tinged songs ease into tonight's set thanks to the
attentive audience before 'Me and Jiggs' jars them out of their hushed silence
for a sing-a-long session. A cover of Leonard Cohen's 'Chelsea Hotel' elicits
giggles while Josh's mad-scientist-meets-authoritative-auctioneer song of lost
love, 'Stuck to You', induces deep laughter. A natural storyteller, his humorous
anecdotes of life on the road easily fill the spaces between songs. For the
encore Josh brings opening act, Mark Geary, onstage and then leaves giving Mark
the solitary spotlight for a song. Josh himself sings about a 'Beautiful Night'
before exiting the room and then re-entering to greet people personally.
Josh Ritter proves that a lack of attitude, but lots of authentic atmosphere and
a solid connection with the crowd is how to best fill in those open spaces.
Barbara Lindberg
On
12 December 2002 Josh returns to Dublin again to play Vicar Street. For more
information see www.joshritter.com
