Nothing To Hide

Last night was truly a special evening- Matthew Good's hometown send off show for the 'Nothing To Hide Tour' was one of his most amazing and dynamic performances that I have ever experienced (and as you all know, over the years I have seen Matt play many, many times). He entertained the sold out crowd at 'The Centre' for hours with his witty quips, incredible acoustics and astounding vocals. My friend and roommate Amy was my date for the show and we couldn't believe how incredible our seats were. There we sat, in the second row, dead centre- which made the performance that much more intimate. The atmosphere, as always at Mr. Good's shows, was exquisite. It was impossible not to feel the passion pumping through the veins of every single person inside the venue, it was amazing.

Matt played new tunes from Hospital Music, as well as old ones like Symbolistic White Walls, even resurrecting Fated from the limited edition Lo-Fi B Sides, which has been one of my personal favourites since I first heard him play it at Edgefest in '99. He also covered a Simon and Garfunkel tune, Keep The Customer Satisfied, especially for his dad. A highlight of the evening was his performance of my favourite song from the new record I'm A Window, in which he was joined on stage by his best friend and partner in crime, Mr. Rod Bruno. It was a very special moment in time.

Possibly my favourite thing about seeing Matt play live, especially in this kind of
acoustic setting all by himself, is hearing him interact with the audience and
listening to his comedic interludes. The man is utterly brilliant and completely hilarious; those of you that are addicted to his blog or have listened to any of his podcasts with Tony know this. I have always said that Matt Good is the kind of guy that his fans want to go out for a beer with (or a glass of wine, or cup of tea...) to shoot the shit, talk about life and politics and joke around with. Getting to know him on a personal level over the last while, and now calling him my friend, has proven this thought to be correct. His dry, sarcastic sense of humour appeals to me as much as his articulate lyrics and passionate songs do. He's the whole package. You just can't not love Matt Good and you honestly couldn't find a more talented, down to earth and genuine guy. I've grown up being inspired by his work and his passion for what he does both creatively and politically. His new record Hospital Music is deeply personal- and a real tribute to the strength, courage and resilience that Matt has shown, especially over this difficult past year of his life. It was beautiful to hear to him share his story in this way.

It was also great to see fellow blogger and Matt Good fan Patz again, who came up to say hello after the show. Make sure that you click on over to his page to view the awesome photos that he took and read his review of the show called "Chocolate Milk and Crazy Straws."

All in all, the night was flawless. As always, I had goosebumps the entire time.

Cheers Matty, and thanks for yet another incredible show. All the best on the road!

Photos courtesy of Jen on Flickr and Patz