I think there was a misnomer in my Patrick Watson preview from two days ago; aimlessness. I assumed, unconvincingly, that Watson's catalog, all the while beautiful, was aimlessly wandering through ideas. As I sat idly along the sidelines of Philadelphia's World Cafe Live last night between University of Penn students and other likely academic newcomers to the area, Watson and his brand of truly exceptional musicians coasted through a very unassuming stage show.
For a venue with seating only, the intimacy was truly unsuspecting, while the visual display also exceeded limited expectations. Graced with minimal lights and cascading projectors of old footage that looked like it was exclusively shot in Sarajevo in the 1920s, the two hour-plus performance seemed even loftier than the already lofty Patrick Watson catalog was.
Early in the performance, Watson asked the crowd if they had seen Andrew Bird performance in Philadelphia last May (Watson was his opener). A few in the crowd jolted, with Watson jokingly pointing out the similarities between the two. Indeed there are: the hyper-romantic semantics, the multi-instrumentation, the fantastic supporting musicians. With Bird obviously sticking out as the more successful of the two (with reason), Watson does his diligence to make his name his own; which didn't help when he sang "Big Bird in a Small Cage," a song about, yes, birds.
Still, having seen both, there's a clear difference. Watson genuinely loves to work within a crowd, something many accomplished musicians struggle mastering. He would casually joke with the audience, asking for requests, even performing with them during "Man Under the Sea." For someone with a discography so unassuming, there's something sincere to admire in the performance. It may not seem totally obvious from an outside source, but seeing it with a starkly attentive crowd, still from the awe, makes it seem bigger than it was.
You can still catch Watson in the area (sort of) tonight with his performance at the Bowery Ballroom in NY. Tickets are available here.
