Special Guest Show Recap: Burlington VT, by A.M. Saddler

I'm happy to bring you all a 'bonus' show recap from a special guest: A.M. Saddler.  "Tony" is one of the best kept secret legends in rock music photography, capturing most often and notably Bruce Springsteen.  You've seen his photographs in Rolling Stone and on the websites of everyone else from Phil Lesh to Josh Ritter.  After attending the Burlington, VT show (12/4/09 at University of Vermont), Tony offered up this review of the show - and, thankfully, his always great photographs...

Some of you know me, some of you don't. You could say that my job is much like the old adage of capturing lightning in a bottle... I'm the guy who takes photos. Occasionally I speak (hell, I can even roll over, beg and play dead). Woof.

Doug "Wordsmith" Rice has been giving you the details on Josh's late fall quickie through the Northeast. Doug gave you the trees, maybe I should focus on the forest. In other words, I will give you the big picture.


If it wasn't for Burlington, VT I may have never heard of Josh Ritter. A couple of years ago he opened for Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and I was taking photos of Grace for a Rolling Stone piece. Being a working concert photographer I get to see a lot of different performers in my travels. You could say (cue my inner Tom Waits) "I'm so jaded the Ming Dynasty has me on speed dial."  It takes a lot to impress me these days. Well, Josh and crew caught my attention and how.  I was going to make sure our paths crossed again.

Each time I have seen Josh and the band since then they have only built on the foundation that I witnessed that afternoon in Burlington. They get better and better, and more importantly, more surprising with each performance. The band is more than the sum of the parts much like Ryan Adams and The Cardinals and Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Each member seems to read the thoughts of the others and turns on a dime when someone goes where they haven't gone before. I look forward to each new show knowing that I will get something living, dynamic and, at times, dramatic.

Fast forward to last Friday night at the UVM Davis Center. The last time attended a concert on the UVM campus it was in the gym, Jerry Garcia was playing lead guitar and I was driving a '75 Chrysler Newport Royal 2DR. Walking into the new Davis Center wasn't quite like the last time...first of all, I actually remember going to this show. I arrived at The Grand Maple Ballroom when the doors opened and there was a line waiting, full of anticipation and more than a few college giggles of glee. It seems others knew what I knew and where looking forward to getting some (a common college theme, for sure). The first thing that struck me was how nice a room for a concert it was. Comfy chairs and couches in the back, nice acoustics and a serious Green Mountain vibe.

As Doug mentioned in his review, the audience was a majority of college students but there was more than a few 40 – 50 years olds hanging towards the back of the room and they too were dancing and singing and being a part of a group dynamic lead by Josh.  His smile is contagious; his demeanor disarming, his energy self-sustaining and multiplying.

And what can I say about the band?

Plenty.

I can't say that I have ever described a rock band as dapper but there's a first time for everything. These guys should have clothing sponsors they look so good up on stage. Everyone knows that any band is only as good as its rhythm section and damn, this is one tasty combo. Liam and Zack hold down the beat and meat as good as it can be held down. Stage right Sam and Austin provide the high to the stage left low with understated flourishes and overtones sent from on high.  ESBP (extra sensory band perception) bind the whole thing together with Josh being at the middle and stage left, and stage right, and at the piano and jumping off the kick drum and...well you get the picture.

New songs sound like old friends. Old songs show new nuance. Wrap it all up and you've got a Josh Ritter concert. And if you don't go see him as soon as you can you won't be able to say, "I saw Josh back in the day." And you are going to want to tell those tales because this band is going places. Big places.

- A.M. Saddler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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