Wow, it's been a whirlwind adventure, but now I'm here to catch my breath.
First off the Salt Lake show, be patient with me, I've been to 3 shows in 4 days and sat in a car for over 18 hours to do it.
I spent time figuring out what I wanted to wear and trying not to get too excited. Around 3 pm I left my house and headed over to Erika's to help her finish get ready and for a final opinion about my choice of outfits. I wanted to be there at 4:30 and that's when Magen got to the venue. and called us while we were on our way there. She could hear Matt sound checking, he was playing Car Crash! So we drove fast and got there to hear some more songs. Mostly he played covers, things I didn't recognize that weren't Matt songs. We were standing by the stage door so we could hear, but then we saw other people heading up to the main door, so I sent my friends to go and stand by the door so that I could keep listening. But they let us into the front door, so I had to leave my little spot and go stand just inside the venue and so we could hear the rest of the sound check and then the other band started their sound check and I mostly didn't pay attention. There was a poster up for some band called Aiden that had a picture of Morrissey and Michael Jackson photoshopped onto a picture of 2 people boxing and that formed enough of a conundrum to keep me thinking until Trish got there with our food. Mmm Arbys! 
They kicked us outside to wait in the cold for a little while and then we got to finally and officially go inside. It sucked though because the people who had gotten tickets through the pre-sale were all will-call, and so they had to line up in a different line with the people who didn't have tickets at all. But Trish was the only mega fan to buy her tickets early enough, so she had to go stand all by herself. So lame.
For the solo songs he played "Suspended" and during the sing along for the chorus, he said we sounded like we belonged in the tabernacle. He then played "Romeo and Juliet" which is a cover song that I don't love. It's fine, but I would have rather had a Matt song. He was suppose to play Sooner Surrender, but it was nice to get a cover that he doesn't play all he time.
Trish and I bought shirts and Erika finally decided on a hoodie and then we got kicked out of the venue. I was a bit concerned that we weren't going to be able to see Matt. Outside we saw little David Archeleta, he was cute and twee, but I didn't take his picture, he had a small crowd around him posing for pictures and autographs, so good for him, it was nice that he came.
We walked to the back of the venue, security was trying to make us believe we needed to leave, but there was a pretty big crowd. I talked to all of Matt's band and got their signatures on my setlist. I felt dumb because I got a hug from the drummer Konrad, but didn't get a picture with him or any other band member. Some guy saw me and said "This girl is a super Matt Nathanson fan!" I asked him how he knew that and he told me that he was the person that I followed backstage after the Park City show 2 years ago. I can't believe he remembered me, I sure didn't remember him.
First off the Salt Lake show, be patient with me, I've been to 3 shows in 4 days and sat in a car for over 18 hours to do it.
Salt Lake! What a show! Let's get started.
I spent time figuring out what I wanted to wear and trying not to get too excited. Around 3 pm I left my house and headed over to Erika's to help her finish get ready and for a final opinion about my choice of outfits. I wanted to be there at 4:30 and that's when Magen got to the venue. and called us while we were on our way there. She could hear Matt sound checking, he was playing Car Crash! So we drove fast and got there to hear some more songs. Mostly he played covers, things I didn't recognize that weren't Matt songs. We were standing by the stage door so we could hear, but then we saw other people heading up to the main door, so I sent my friends to go and stand by the door so that I could keep listening. But they let us into the front door, so I had to leave my little spot and go stand just inside the venue and so we could hear the rest of the sound check and then the other band started their sound check and I mostly didn't pay attention. There was a poster up for some band called Aiden that had a picture of Morrissey and Michael Jackson photoshopped onto a picture of 2 people boxing and that formed enough of a conundrum to keep me thinking until Trish got there with our food. Mmm Arbys! 
They kicked us outside to wait in the cold for a little while and then we got to finally and officially go inside. It sucked though because the people who had gotten tickets through the pre-sale were all will-call, and so they had to line up in a different line with the people who didn't have tickets at all. But Trish was the only mega fan to buy her tickets early enough, so she had to go stand all by herself. So lame.They opened the doors and we ran in and right up front. I was just stage left of the center monitor that Matt would be standing in front of, so it was a good place to be. The opening band came out. They had a lovely little electrical piano set up on stage and when the singer came in, he was wearing Elvis Costello glasses, argyle socks, converse sneakers and suit pants that were cut off at the bottom. I was sold and they didn't need to play anything! Then they started. And I was completely blown away. They were so amazing! Up front where we were the sound was rather muddy, but I could still tell how incredible they were. The singer pounding out the melody on the piano and singing with his gravely, raspy voice and the drummer! He was Mr. Smiley. He was singing along and smiling and rocking out. They are called The Break and Repair Method and I highly recommend them to anyone who likes good music. You can listen to 3 songs at their myspace http://www.myspace.com/thebreakandrepairmethod and make them your friend or you can go their website http://www.thebreakandrepairmethod.com/ and listen to the whole awesome album. Then you will know what greatness truly is.
They played an untitled song and asked what they should call just after they had told a story about playing the night before in Boise. So someone yelled that they should call it Boise, but that's not what he heard. Let's just say it was a pretty dirty word that he heard, so he was shocked that us Mormons would say something like that. But then it got all figured out. These songs rock, really you need to see them live to really get it so here's a youtube of a concert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtpx7BejYe4 it even shows the drummer a bit, so that you get what I'm trying to tell you.
It was during the break between Break and Matt that we heard that David Archeleta was there, up in the sound booth. We couldn't see him very well from where we were, but there were definitely a bunch of people up in that booth. He even vlogged about it! David Archeleta's vlog
He doesn't say too much about it, but it's cool that he was there.
The manager brought out the setlists and while there was one right in front of me I tried not to look at it, I wanted to be surprised. I did see the first song and I also saw that he was going to play "Amazing Again" which, I can tell you that I squealed like a little girl. That's not only my favorite Matt song, it's probably my favorite song ever. But I was getting nervous, the lame guy next to me that kept trying to push me so he could get more in the center was eying it and asked the strange hand if he could have the setlist and they told him he could take it after the concert was over. But then Matt came out, to a Queen song, I'm not sure which one. He came right out and spit his gum onto the setlist by his microphone. The guy didn't look pleased. I was ecstatic! How cool would that be to get matt's gum? Okay I'm a freak, I'm aware of this. 
He started off with "Gone" which is really rockin and so much fun. Before "Princess" he of course said how he stole some of the song from Rick Springfield and discovered that "Ghostbusters" And "I Want a New Drug" are pretty much the same song, and played "Living on a Prayer" with "Heaven is a place on Earth" to show that they were also the same song and then said that Rick had nothing on him if those songs could do that.
The crowd was so into his set. The screaming was deafening, after every song, and people were singing along to all the songs, not just the new ones. Before Falling Apart he played the beginning of "In A Big Country" and the original artists have nothing on Matt here, it was beautiful.
I, of course, screamed when he started playing "Amazing Again." I knew it was coming, but still hearing those opening notes I didn't know if I was going to cry or pass out, but it was a totally happy kind of cry. I'd never heard this song live, only on CD or a live recording. He sang the beginning of Losing My Religion during the instrumental part, just like I like it.
For the solo songs he played "Suspended" and during the sing along for the chorus, he said we sounded like we belonged in the tabernacle. He then played "Romeo and Juliet" which is a cover song that I don't love. It's fine, but I would have rather had a Matt song. He was suppose to play Sooner Surrender, but it was nice to get a cover that he doesn't play all he time.
The band came back with "To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts" which is one of my favorite songs from the new album, so fun. Someone called out for "Come on Get Higher" which is really his "hit single" and he said that somethings in life are guaranteed, death, taxes and that he would play that song.
They did a sing along for Ah-Ha's Take on Me, which was fun, it was a totally lounge version and he had each side of the room take turns on the chorus and then judged who was the winner. It wasn't my side! Oh well, it was really fun. Detroit Waves was the last song of the main set which incorporated Kids in America and I think Eminem's 8 mile too, but only a little bit of that. Then he told us that it was the last song in the main set, but we all knew that they had an encore to play but to scream and clap loud anyway.
They came back with Answering Machine which also has a sing along part and is just an incredible song. Finished up with Come on Get Higher. That's right, make the people wait for it, that's makes the night finish on a positive note. I had my buds help me grab the setlist because that guy didn't even want it! Ha!
Now for the after stuff!
Trish and I bought shirts and Erika finally decided on a hoodie and then we got kicked out of the venue. I was a bit concerned that we weren't going to be able to see Matt. Outside we saw little David Archeleta, he was cute and twee, but I didn't take his picture, he had a small crowd around him posing for pictures and autographs, so good for him, it was nice that he came.
We walked to the back of the venue, security was trying to make us believe we needed to leave, but there was a pretty big crowd. I talked to all of Matt's band and got their signatures on my setlist. I felt dumb because I got a hug from the drummer Konrad, but didn't get a picture with him or any other band member. Some guy saw me and said "This girl is a super Matt Nathanson fan!" I asked him how he knew that and he told me that he was the person that I followed backstage after the Park City show 2 years ago. I can't believe he remembered me, I sure didn't remember him.We were a bit concerned that Matt wasn't going to some out. It was chilly and they were packing up. Erika and I started talking about how much fun it would be to go and see him in Colorado. A Matt road trip had occurred to me, but more for the Boise show the night before since Boise is only a 6 hour drive, but Colorado never crossed my mind. Erika's brother lives there so we could crash with him. My mind was racing, I totally wanted to go! We had so much fun this night, I wanted it to last.
Matt finally popped out from behind all the vehicles and came over to sign stuff and take pictures. He seemed to recognise us (or maybe at least me and Trish since we had seen him and stalked him so many times) and he signed my set list, we took a few pictures, I told him that I was so excited to hear Amazing Again. And he didn't even know who David Archeleta was! Apparently he doesn't watch crap TV. Except for Gossip Girl. We asked if the Denver or Boulder shows were sold out and he didn't know, but said if they weren't, we should totally come and see them again.
Don't I look so blissful?
We got our pictures and Trish said goodnight. Erika asked me if I wanted to get another picture and of course I did! I also had more stuff in my purse that he could sign, and after the first Boulder show, Trish and I went back and talked to him 3 times! It was nuts! So we hoped back in line. The girls in front of us had Matt call their friend and he sang them the first part of Journey's Don't Stop Believing, and I was so flustered that I didn't get it recorded on my cell phone, but it was lovely. We got up there and posed again for pictures, and I was totally bossing him around, I handed him my CD and told him not to write "willow is the bomb" since I had that on at least 2 other things that were signed at different times. And he was all "Geez, you're giving me orders!" and I told him that I was being so annoying that he would remember me if we got to see him in Colorado. It was weird. I could tell how annoying I was, but it was something I was not able to control. Like when you're really angry and you can tell you are being unreasonable but you can't seem to help it. It was like that. We went back to Erika's and picked up my car, the whole while talking about how fun it would be to go to Colorado and that if it's not sold out we should totally go...
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