Full disclosure: this reviewer walked into the Neptune theater in Seattle the other night entirely expecting to enjoy Josh Ritter’s set. As one of many people who would call his latest release, The Beast In Its Tracks, one of the best albums of 2013, it seemed a fairly safe bet. Ritter, on an acoustic tour with his long-time musical comrade Zack Hickman and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kaufman, stepped onto the stage promptly at 9pm (following a fantastic opening set by Gregory Alan Isakov), swapping instruments and harmonies for nothing less than two full hours.
Where, on most of his tours, the full band setting brings the songs to life as they appear on record, this stripped down version allowed more breathing room and a surprisingly thorough exploration through his back catalogue. Where fans expected a set-list leaning heavily on The Beast, a record that is itself somehow quieter than some of Ritter’s previous work, the audience was rewarded with everything from clear audience-favorite singalongs “Kathleen”, “Girl in the War”, and “Wait for Love” to lesser known B-sides like “Galahad”.
And when the lights went off (completely, at his urging) for a solo rendition of “The Curse”, you could tell he just wanted those of us in front of him to not only truly hear, but also to share in this story about the mummy who falls in love with the museum archaeologist. The song is a masterpiece of story-telling, only bested that evening, perhaps, by “The Temptation of Adam” and the feeling in the crowd was palpable – a rare, intimately shared moment with a thousand strangers.
If there is one overarching sentiment from the show, though, Ritter pretty much summed it up in a line from “Snow is Gone” off of 2003’s Hello Starling: “I sang in exultation pulled the stops—you always looked a little bored but I’m singing for the love of it—have mercy on the man who sings to be adored”. The smile rarely left his face no matter the subject matter he was singing about and the joy was downright exuberant while he was on his knees coercing the crowd into howls during “Wolves”.
“We’re so glad you all came out tonight”, he said at one point, “otherwise we’d be here alone.” Based on the sincerity of his post-encore thank yous, it’s clear and refreshing to realize Ritter is a performer who has found and is comfortable with his place in the world. Better still, he’s self-aware enough to appreciate every last person in the room, further solidifying the positive glow of the night.
