Last Tuesday marked the Denver return of The Tallest Man on Earth. I’ve been waiting to see Kristian Matsson (aka The Tallest Man on Earth) for quite a while now. I had seen him in 2013, missed him in 2015, and I was eagerly anticipating his September 2019 show at The Mission Ballroom but that got cancelled (before we got used to EVERYTHING be cancelled ALL THE TIME), so when this show was announced, I knew I couldn’t miss it.
The evening opened with a brilliant and tender 30 minute set from Nigerian singer songwriter Uwade. Her delicate approach to her songs was paid the utmost respect by the crowd at the Gothic as they remained almost completely silent as she delivered songs like “The Man Who Sees Tomorrow” – a song she wrote for her father who passed away a year and a half ago (Listen Here!) – and “Belvedere.” Uwade has gotten some great attention from other musicians over the past couple of years as Vulfpeck re-posted one of her songs and Sylvan Esso’s record label Psychic Hotline released her recent single “Do You See The Light Around Me.” This young woman is poised to do some great things, keep an eye on her.
When the lights went down about 9:15, a pre-recorded introduction – in what I can only assume was Swedish – played over the PA and Matsson took the stage, picked up an electric guitar and began to layer loops into a mesmerizing soundscape. His complete command of the stage and the crowd as a solo musician is nothing short of remarkable and one of the reasons his live performances are so captivating.
Early in the set he delivered “Wind and Walls” from 2012’s There’ No Leaving Now and, as he bantered with the audience between songs, he admitted “I know I missed a verse in ‘Wind and Walls,’ I promise I’ll play it next time.” This got a hearty laugh from the crowd as Matsson picked up a nylon string guitar and introduced “It Will Follow the Rain” as “one of the first songs I wrote as The Tallest Man.” The song opens with one of my favorite Tallest Man lyrics “have you ever seen the far side / of a mountain swallow the sky” and closed with Matsson singing a cappella to an absolutely silent room. It was breathtaking.
He switched to the keyboard for a take on “There’s No Leaving Now” before returning to the guitar for “The Running Styles of New York” and “Rivers.” At this point in the show, Matsson showed us he’s been actively writing by showcasing a new, as yet untitled, song (Listen Here! from the Philadelphia concert this year) and then he rewound about 10 years for the pairing of the classics “King of Spain” and “Revelation Blues.” After plucking “Somewhere in the Mountains, Somewhere in New York” out on the banjo, The Tallest Man closed the set out with “I’m a Stranger Now” and “The Dreamer” to the delight of the fans who hung on every word.
After a brief encore break, Matsson playfully hid among his lighting props and then returned to the microphone to perform “The Wild Hunt” on guitar before switching to piano to end the evening with “Like the Wheel” from the 2010 EP Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird. It was worth the wait!
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