Under normal circumstances, a paying concertgoer would be upset to see a musician interrupt his live show to read excerpts from a trashy 95 cent novel about a male prostitute. In most cases, it would be taken as a sign that the crowd wasn’t enjoying the music. When you’re spending the evening with Matt Nathanson, though, this kind of behavior is not only par for the course; it’s expected. For 90 minutes last night (after an hour set by Virginia rockers Carbon Leaf), Nathanson brought his unique blend of dry wit and emotional pop/rock to the TLA. From the moment he stepped on stage, Nathanson had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, and not once did his fare disappoint.

Backed by a three-man band, Nathanson regaled the crowd with his “monster hits;” in fact, he only has one - a cover of James’ “Laid” that showed up on the American Wedding soundtrack. But the audience was just as interested in hearing the songs he’s crafted over eight years of recording off-label albums. Drawing largely from his 2003 album Beneath These Fireworks - which itself is filled with robust re-recordings of his older tracks - and previewing a few songs from his forthcoming album (due out next year), Nathanson truly rocked the house. He showed off his musical pedigree, too, if you can call being raised on 80’s pop a pedigree, interluding some of his songs with shout outs to Lou Reed, Cheap Trick, and Rick Springfield.

Appreciative to the fervent mass, Nathanson remarked that it was amazing to see so many turn out on a Tuesday night to see a guy who hasn’t even been on the radio. He gave the crowd ample opportunity to sing along, including in his set the concert staple “Answering Machine,” and even seemed shocked that so many of us knew such a large chunk of his material. Never have I seen an artist play so well to an audience. For an encore, Nathanson unplugged his guitar, stepped away from the microphone and towards the crowd, and led a singalong of the gorgeous “Little Victories.”

Carbon Leaf, meanwhile, entertained the crowd (most of whom were there solely for Nathanson) with their Celtic-inspired rock. They, too, showed their appreciation to the crowd for supporting a band whose nearly decade-long recording career has gone largely unnoticed. I picked up two of their CDs on the way out of the concert. You can look forward to at least one review here in the next week or two.

For the money that I spent getting into the TLA, Carbon Leaf and Matt Nathanson were possibly the best concert I’ve ever attended. There’s not many better ways to see a concert than surrounded by an intimate crowd who loves the music as much as you, and in front of an artist who appreciates the crowd as much as they do him.

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