10 Years Of Matt Nathanson.

It’s fitting that I am making my way home from Montana from a Matt Nathanson show today.

On this day, ten years ago, I saw Matt for the first time.

My first show I actually went for the opener. I only stuck around to see what the fuss was about, because I had been told by multiple people for a few years that I needed to see Matt live.

I was completely captivated. I kept looking around me like, we are lucky individuals to be experiencing this guy right now.

My first conversation with Matt made me feel like we were old friends. Then he told me a story about his cat and I was all, this dude is so rad!

A few days later I saw him again opening for Pink, solo with just an acoustic guitar in hand. I was blown away by how he could capture an entire audience’s attention by just himself.

I was hooked. I went home and downloaded Beneath These Fireworks and Live At The Point. The following year, Some Mad Hope came out, and that was the album that made me go, WOW. I’m all in. Throwing myself in completely. And I threw myself in, alright.

To make a long story short, here we are a decade and 175 shows later.

I sometimes wonder how this guy I go and see a crazy amount of times per year (and usually in places nowhere near where I live…I mean come on, who drives to MONTANA?!) will still look shocked or get excited when he spots me in a crowd. How is he not sick of me when I walk up to him at a meet and greet for the 10 dozenth time?

I guess I can say that I’m lucky; my appreciation for him is reflected back.

So. Matt. This is what I have to say to you.

There’s a million words to express how I feel and how thankful I am about everything over the years. I could sit here and write a novel, because I never shut up and talk way too much, but I’ll just get to the most important part of this post. I just want to say:

THANK YOU.

 

Your music has gotten me through the good days, and more importantly the bad ones.

Being at your shows feels like home; they are my happy place.

Because of you, I have been introduced to some of my other favorite artists (but no worries, you will always be my #1!!!)

I have also met some of the absolute best friends I could have ever wished for. It’s because of your music we were brought together, and without you, they wouldn’t be in my life.

I know I say this all the time, and I’ll most likely keep saying it to you for the next 10 years, but you are the best. The best.

Thank you. For everything. For the music. The friendships. For the endless hugs, and guest list spots. For the flowers and pastries. For hitting me in the face with a guitar pick and nearly taking out my eye (haha, never letting you live that one down!)

You mean a lot to me. More than the words in this post can express. So since a picture says a thousand words, here are a few of my favorite moments together over the past 10 years.

 

Thank you for the last ten years. The best 10 years. You truly are the best.

The One Where It Was “Mattober” (part 4)

The last edition of my very belated blog from October.

We drove for a day from Eugene to San Francisco, and then the sadness that was the end of tour funk started to set in.

SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco ended up being a double show day for us.

We decided to head to the venue early, and claim our spots first for the evening show before heading over to the other side of town for the radio gig.

Paul got off the bus and was talking to us for awhile, then got all concerned. “Who is going to hold your spots in line when you go over for the radio gig?” Oh, you know. Just hired someone to wait in line for us because we’re professional front row people. “How do I get that job?!” Paul asked. HAHA.

We decided to just take one car over so we could save on parking, so we somehow fit 6 people into my car. Don’t try this at home, kids. We’re professionals. (Plus that’s not legal.)

The radio gig was at a Capital One Bank Lounge/Peet’s Coffee. It was a pretty cool spot. If I lived in San Francisco I would hang out there.

Matt played 5 songs and did a short little interview. Afterwards we got to go to the meet and greet. Amber and I went together, and as we walked up, he said, “I’m going to give you a low hug because I am sweaty and smelly right now.”

“I totally wear man deodorant. I have some in my bag if you need it.” I joked. (I really do wear man deodorant, and had some in my bag though…)

Matt then lifts up my arm, smells my armpit and says, “Oh yeah. That’s good.”

“I’m also wearing Justin Beiber perfume.” I admit. (it was a gift, I didn’t buy it, don’t judge.)

“Is it called ‘GIRL!’? GIRL.” Omg, I can’t even explain the way he said girl. It was hilarious.

We then take our photo, and we’re all pretty much cracking up. You know someone is your homie if he smells your armpit. HAHAHA.

We then headed back to the venue to get back in line, and SOME people were not impressed with our craigslist friend who held our spots. Haters gonna hate!

At one point of the day, Matt’s car almost got towed. It was parked behind the bus, and this tow truck got just came and tried to start towing it. Yvonne, the quiet one, gets up and bangs on the bus door screaming THEY’RE TRYING TO TOW YOUR CAR. Luckily they ended up talking the guy out of not towing it, and Yvonne saved the day. (I went to try to find a bathroom at this point, and missed 85% of the entire saving of the car mission, but saw the tail end of it while I was walking back down the hill and was like, “WTF is happening right now…?!” Later Matt walked past us in line and squeezed all our knees as a thank you. I’m like didn’t do anything…just tried to pee.

We bought dinner tickets for this show, which means you go in early, and some people again were not impressed that this was happening. Um, we were still first in line so even if it was all general admission we were first, period. Haters gonna hate, part two.

This show was really good, but also horrible at the same time, because once again there were douche bags in the audience. Matt got to the point where he said, “Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up” and the people STILL KEPT TALKING. When someone tells you to shut the fuck up, you shut the fuck up!

I thought he was going to storm off the stage. He was angry. And I wanted to punch people in the face for him.

“I almost got into a fight tonight” Matt says as I walked up to him after the show.

“Do you need me to beat someone up for you? Who do I need to punch?”

“No.” He says and just hugs me. I felt bad for him.

Matt grabbed my hand for this pose and I was all like, what is going on? But this might be my favorite photo from the entire tour, so…weird pose, cute ass photo.

As we’re getting into my car to leave, Yvonne says, “Nina and Caroline’s car got broken into!” and we’re all like “WTF!” and go over to their car and everything is just GONE. I felt terrible.

They made us eventually leave them while they went to the police station and then to the rental car place to get another car. But I felt so bad and had trouble sleeping.

 

LOS ANGELES

We woke up extra early the next morning (it was still dark) and all piled into the car and headed down to Los Angeles.

We were super classy and lazy and ordered Veggie Grill and had it delivered to us in line. Which was also all kinds of awesome. Fat kids on tour. Lazy-ing it up with delivery.

While sitting in line, Shiben walked by and I was like HI DUDE. I’VE MISSED YOU. We talked for a few minutes and then he was off to do his thing.

Los Angeles was probably my favorite show of the tour. I LOVE the Troubadour. I used to follow a local LA band around a decade ago, and there are so many memories in that venue for me.

Matt was in a fantastic mood. The crowd was not acting like douches. Shiben and Lovejoy came out and played a few songs with Matt and Aaron. It was perfect.

When Matt started playing “Gold in the Summertime” he forgot the lyrics to the song and looked at me. I started singing the lyrics and he was like, “Oh yeah!” and then he sang the second verse…which is the verse I just sang at him. We kinda looked at each other like oh shit. Oops.

After the show we waited for the meet & greet. And when it was my turn, Paul says to me, “Only one left!” excitedly.

“No, don’t remind me!” I yelled at him sadly.

“What’d he say?” Matt asked.

“He said there’s only one left. I’m not ready.” I said pouting.

My friend Amy had asked if I could get lyrics written out for her for a tattoo. So I asked for him to write them out, and afterwords he was all,
“Does that look okay?”

“It’s not for me, so sure.”

“Oh, then who gives a fuck what it looks like.” he said jokingly. Hahaha.

While he was writing them out, I fessed up.
“So. I totally fed you the wrong lyrics. I didn’t realize until you started singing the second verse.”

“I didn’t notice until I started playing the second verse either.”

We both fail.

When Amber was talking to him, he kept asking her what time we were getting to San Diego the next day. And she was like, I don’t know. And then he was all give me a time. So she gave him a time and he said, “Okay, that works.”

Um. What? So the whole night we were like, why does he need to know when we’re getting there?!

 

SAN DIEGO

 

San Diego would be the day known as the day that Matt made me cry. And then the flood gates were opened and I just continued to cry like 5 thousand times over the next 48 hours. Read on.

The venue they played at was a fucking DIVE. When we arrived there were just homeless dudes hanging out out front. We set up our chairs and they left luckily, but we were like. Oh fun. Bum central.

About 15 minutes after we told Matt we’d be there, the bus rolled up in front of the venue. Matt came out to talk to us. I happened to be sitting in my chair and had just dosed off, but woke up because I heard voice. Matt was standing directly above my chair and it scared the shit out of me.

“Oh woah, I was just asleep and woke up and you were standing there and it scared me.”
“Oh man, you just woke up to a nightmare!” HAHAHA. Matt talked to us for a long time, and then eventually went into the venue.

It felt like a billion degrees that day. I mean, we sat there and sweat all the sweat. At one point of the day, Yvonne, Amber and I went to go get fro yo. And Nina texts us, “You need to get back here asap.” I was like, why? And she sent us a photo.

We were gone less than 20 minutes, and in that short time period, Matt came and brought us FLOWERS AND PASTRIES.

WHAT EVEN.

Nina and Caroline said that Matt was sad when he saw we weren’t there, and he was like, “WHERE ARE THEY?!” and put the flowers on our individual chairs. He said he just felt like he wanted to do something nice for us since we went to so many shows and felt like he needed to give us a gift in return. Nina told him he didn’t need to do that, that he gave us the gift of music and friendship, and that was enough. #truth

I’m sad I missed him dropping them off, but I’m also glad I wasn’t there because when I walked back and saw the flowers I got all emotional and teared up. That jerk made me cry!

I had already felt emotional all day considering it was the last show, I didn’t want to say goodbye to the girls, and I didn’t want to drive home the following morning. This was just the straw that broke the camels back and the flood gates opened. I think I ended up crying like 4 times in line that day. It was ridiculous. My emotions were broken. Those damn flowers. Haha.

The last show was so bittersweet. I wanted it to last forever. At one point of the set, Matt started talking and he was all, “The front row has pretty much been the same every night, and that’s awesome.” and I had to make myself not cry. #emotionsstillbroken

Waiting in line for the m&g was also sad. Matt had told us before the show that he was not good with goodbyes, which I think was a hint that he wasn’t going to say goodbye to us that night.

“You made me cry today.” I said to him as I walked into his opened arms for a hug one last time.
“Stop.” was his only reply.
“Do you know how many boys have given me flowers? Only 3. So now you’re the 4th.” I joked. He proceeded to start singing some song to me but I didn’t know what it was, so I couldn’t tell you what he was singing. Ha.
“Do you eat those pastries? I wanted to eat them all myself.”
“Um, yeah. I’m a fat kid.”
“You should have seen me. I was in Whole Food picking them out. And I NEVER pick out pastries for anyone! But I thought you would like them, because I know you like treats.”

He knows I like treats? Okay. I post too many #fatkidsontour posts. HAHAHA.

I don’t remember much of what we talked about after that, because it was probably just me trying to not be a dweeb and cry the entire time.

We took a quick “end of tour” photo, and then Matt literally walked away without saying goodbye. Well, he warned us…ha.

We drove super sleep deprived back to LA (a 2 hour drive took us over 3 hours because we kept switching drivers back and forth.)

The next morning I dropped Yvonne and Amber off at the airport. Cried the whole ride there. Cried after I dropped them off. Cried a majority of the drive home.

When I got home I took the flowers (we divided them up evenly) and pressed them in Harry Potter books for a few weeks. They sit next to my record player to this day. The cutest.