By Erin Lee
Matt Nathanson brought his King of (Un)Simple Winter tour to Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday night.
When you have a discography 15 albums deep, you have the ability to really shake up the setlist every night on tour.
Nathanson decided to take it one step further and resurrect his "Wheel of Song."
Reminiscent of Elvis Costello's Spectacular Spinning Songbook, the wheel is a large stage prop that is periodically spun throughout the evening, to lots of cheers and anticipation.
Matt's version features fun categories such as "Songs You Hear at Whole Foods," and "You Good, Bro?" in addition to song and album options.
Opening up with "Map at the Mall" from his new album King of (Un)Simple, the audience was captivated. The album is just two weeks old, but we've all done our homework and showed up ready to sing along!
All told, the audience was treated to four songs from the new album.
If you've been to a Matt Nathanson show, you know the drill: stories will be told, covers will be played or teased, and the stage banter is immaculate.
We were regaled with stories of being inspired to write more uplifting songs, like the new "Pablo Picasso" dedicated to his wife.
New addition to the touring band Kenny provided some comic relief. Matt explained Kenny was unable to learn all of the back catalog in time for tour, so for songs he didn't know how to play he sported a baseball cap emblazoned with "Not a Part of This" on it. The audience cheered and encouraged him on.
From crowd favorites like "Giants" and "Used to Be" to deeper cuts like "Sway," we collectively enjoyed every moment.
At the end of the set, Matt thanked us for coming and joked we should go out for ice cream together before bringing out touring guitarist Michael Chavez to close with "Come On Get Higher" from 2007's Some Mad Hope.
A wonderful night of music and community with one of the best fan bases I know.
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