Matt Nathanson, @ Atlanta Botanical Gardens
Coast Observer
Photographs by: Canonblue Lalley
Words by: Tom Schmidt & Canonblue Lalley
Even on a stormy day in July, the Atlanta Botanical gardens made for a fantastic venue. The front lawn was marked with concert-goers on blankets, sipping on their beer or wine and taking in the magic of the gardens at sunset. The audience remained captivated through the up and coming openers, A Great Big World, and showed their enthusiasm by giving their energy to the band. From performing some of their lesser known pieces like “Everyone is Gay” to spellbinding audiences with an intimate solo performance of “Say Something,” AGBW performed with energy and spunk. Each song brought a different ebullience to the crowd, as the trees echoed the songs back with an amphitheater like quality.
Despite the stormy weather in southern Georgia, the green had a fresh dew on it which kept everyone cool. Matt Nathanson opened up with “Summer Time” which has a fast beat livening up the audience and bringing them to their feet. Mere moments after the crowd showed their elation, security mandated that everyone sit down. Nathanson’s response to this was to play “Modern Love” and as he entered the crowd, he encouraged everyone to their feet.
Matt Nathanson performs with such an intensity that it’s easy to feel both completely lost to the music, and connected to everything and everyone around you. With each note and each inflection in his music you can feel his conviction as a tangible entity. Looking around during “All We Are” you could see that each person was completely entranced in whatever moment that song brought them back to. Some were softly singing, some holding hands or resting on shoulder, and some even let silent tears slip down their faces. It’s rare to find an artist who is able to establish such a connection, that is a common link but completely personal to each person.
“Laid” broke the palpable intensity with a serious level of crowd participation. Made famous from the American Pie trilogy, fans were belting out their favorite lyrics and a booming round of “...you’re driving me crazy when are you comin home..?” thundered through the gardens. Matt broke the crowd down into sections to sing out the chorus, which they did enthusiastically. The air was electric, and the band and crowd felt it simultaneously. The crowd feed the band with their voices, claps, and dancing, while the band serenaded them with jokes, songs, sweat and music that seemed to cascade down from the heavens.
The setting sun changed the dynamic of the amphitheater, with the summer lights of the botanical gardens creating one of the most intimate concert settings imaginable. Swirling glass sculptures infused with light, twinkling trees and even the parting of cloud cover to allow the stars to peek began to cast seductive shadows across the faces of the crowd. The darkness of night allowing the baser inhibitions of the crowd to come forth, people moved a little closer and allowed themselves to really let go and live in the moment.
Matt Nathanson was phenomenal. Such an enigmatic, electric and intimate performance, by one of the most humble artists. Matt Nathanson and Philip Phillips are on tour with A Great Big World for the duration of the summer, and if you get the chance, treat yourself!