So(Un)Simple: Matt Nathanson Entertains at Multifaceted Minneapolis Concert

Matt Nathanson, the “King of (Un)Simple”, wove music, exposition, and game show flair into an outstanding and personable concert Saturday night at the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. And made it look easy.

Nathanson and his two-person band opened with “Map at the Mall” from his new album King of (Un)Simple, released late last year. Afterward, he commented that he was told he “can’t talk during the first three songs” in order to keep the night moving. The additional two songs were the energetic “Giants” and “Faster”, in which he wove his patented interpolations by adding the chorus of Prince’s “Kiss”.

And that quickly ended. After a greeting, the concert became a game show of sorts. Nathanson stated a universal concert truth, especially for someone of his catalog: no matter the setlist, some people say “I wish you played that song”. He then removed the cover of his Wheel of Song. The wheel contained albums, songs, and categories. It would be spun to determine what is played next, leaving the setlist to chance but also covering something unexpected. Then he explained EVERY segment on the wheel.

Yet Nathanson’s extended anecdotes, explanations, and stories always met laughter and cheers from the crowd. Even when they did not connect to a song, as in an isolated story about walking around in his underpants and being seen by a neighbor’s kid.

Nathanson declared the wheel’s song would be honored. In fact, during a recent New Jersey show he circumvented the wheel’s selection. And the theatre was hit with a blackout that forced him to play acoustic throughout the crowd. Tonight, the first spin was an absolute treat.

The wheel landed on cover songs, and the crowd had to vote between a U2 or Def Leppard cover. The crowd cheered loudest for the latter, and Nathanson played his sublime version of “Hysteria”. U2 was not left uncovered, as he later fused the opening verse of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For into “Car Crash”.

Other wheel songs were “To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts”, “Last Days of Summer in San Fransico”, “Adrenaline”, and “Headphones”. Some spins landed on the actual song, others he chose from the album the wheel landed on.

Nathanson then reached deeper into his cover song bag, explaining an 80’s-themed concert from his recent sponsored cruise. The Uptown Theater sang along to excerpts of “Against All Odds” and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, with him joking about dark lyrics or altering his voice like Grace Slick.

And during “Let’s Go Crazy”, Nathanson’s love for Prince (and Minnesota) shined. The keyboardist played the iconic opening. Nathanson asked him to hit the guitar solo and closing solo. Interestingly enough, these were done out of order, as Nathanson conversed and laughed with the crowd while coming up with suggestions on the fly.

Despite the banter, Nathanson displayed a thoughtful and introspective side as well, visible before “German Cars”. He explained how he never fit into the New England area he grew up, where “being weird wasn’t celebrated”. Attending boarding school despite living 20 minutes away. Enrolling in summer camps. So he wrote the song to celebrate “people you find forever” and the ones “you find temporarily that still help you”.

Even before his predictable closing “Come On Get Higher”, Nathanson had one more episode of comic relief. On his phone, he played an AI version of the track, a heretical robotic country rendition of his hit song. He even cautioned a “truck nuts part”, to which his keyboardist donned a tank top and trucker hat.

Then Nathanson went into his beautiful singing of the song, and then closed with a gentle singalong snippet from “Suspended”: Sunshine, I’m beginning to like this…

Opening the evening was Lisa Loeb, performing a delightful solo acoustic set while sharing stories behind some of her songs. After opening with “Wishing Heart”, she took a moment to acknowledge the two concert photographers. While seeming at first surprised, she was also grateful.

Loeb then energized the audience with “Do You Sleep?” before playing one of her kids' music songs “The Disappointing Pancake”. Loeb explained how she desired to make kids’ music that walks the line of “adult” music, and how those songs can be fun for all ages. She also shared that Steve Martin contributed banjo to the track, illuminating the kid/adult connection.

During the song, the crowd was encouraged to make enthusiastic arm rolling gestures during lines like “it rolled and it rolled and it rolled and it rolled”. To which several audience members gladly obliged, illustrating Loeb’s age-transcending wish.

Another story that came full circle involved her connections with Hollywood. Loeb was asked to write a song for a scene in the movie “One Fine Day”. After an extensive process of reading scripts, sending clips, and redoing the track several times with additional instruments, Loeb eventually created the song “Truthfully”. But it did not end up in the movie.

However, Loeb still released the track. And speaking of movies, she naturally played her most identifiable hit “Stay (I Missed You)” from Reality Bites, which came through connecting with her friend and cast member Ethan Hawke.

This show could have easily been labeled as a singer/songwriter concert. And for two amiable and talented musicians, it was a treat to laugh and connect with them on such a personable level.