So for anyone that was aware, Swedish singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson, who goes by the moniker The Tallest Man on Earth, came through Pomona, California, last night at the Glass House Music Club on West 2nd Street. I myself was not aware that one of my favorite Scandinavians would be in the Golden State this Wednesday until just this past weekend, when I got a text from my friend Alana (who was leading OA at the time) informing me of his impending arrival. So with that, I purchased my ticket as soon as I could get my hands on a laptop, anxiously waited for Wednesday, September 5, and boned up on my Tallest Man tunes.
When concert night came, we showed up to the Glass House and walked in for the fairly hairy two person guitar-drum duo hailing from Philadelphia known as Strand of Oaks, who opened up for Matsson and most likely gained a lot of fans (including me!) judging from the crowd’s energy during their performance. However, the energy for the arrival of the Tallest Man on Earth easily outshone anything prior, and the pale, bearded Swede definitely brought his A game for Pomona. Opening with such hits as “The Gardener” and a few songs from his brand spanking new album “There’s No Leaving Now” released this past June, Kris had the crowd wrapped around his finger. This became even more evident as he left the stage for the first time to deafening applause, desperate pleas for an encore and even a crowd-wide chant of “One More Song.” Luckily for the crowd, he would never skimp on a loving audience like that, coming back to play three of his biggest songs, “The Wild Hunt,” “Graceland,” and a special piano-accompanied version of “The Dreamer.” Before his final departure, mutual thanks were given, with Matsson giving multiple bows and blown kisses to the crowd and the audience giving him a standing O that would be tough to match on any other night. Overall, it was one of the top three concerts I have been to, and I’m incredibly thankful that I got the heads up from Alana for this one.
P.S. Apologies for the questionable picture quality…my phone camera is definitely far below acceptable for this day and age.