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Written by Laura Hamlett Sunday, 22 June 2008 07:18

The size of the crowd made the show more intimate, almost as if Ryan was playing in someone's living room to appreciative and enraptured fans .

Off Broadway, St. Louis

For those in the know, this was a highly anticipated show. It had been seven years since raspy yet brilliant singer-songwriter Matthew Ryan had been to St. Louis, and though the crowd was small, each and every member of the audience was touched by Ryan's performance. His attitude on stage was that of a friend, one slightly embarrassed by the attention. In fact, with the release of his latest CD Matthew Ryan vs. the Silver State, Ryan promoted his longtime musicians to band status, not merely just support of a sole lead.

On this night, Ryan took the stage with little fanfare, heading straight from "Check, check" into the set and opening with "Could Have Been Worse" from his latest CD. After the second song, he checked in with the audience -- "You guys OK? You're awfully quiet," -- forcing a semi-enthusiastic response of "Whoo!" which he mimicked (not just this time, but after every song's applause, his own version of "Thank you," it seemed; it was both charming and funny).

Ryan played an absolutely beautiful acoustic intro to "American Dirt," a softly strummed guitar accompaniment to his rough voice. Strangely, he dedicated "Evening Rust" to Irish Americans. On more than one occasion, Ryan stepped off the stage and onto the barren dance floor, strumming his guitar or singing in close proximity to the audience; oddly, though, rather than serenade us, he mostly faced his musicians as he moved around the floor.

Midway through the set was an extended episode of tuning his guitar, during which he oft-repeated, "All right. OK." After a while, it became humorous, which Ryan acknowledged with a self-aware, almost shy smile. The size of the crowd made the show more intimate, almost as if Ryan was playing in someone's living room to appreciative and enraptured fans (save for a few rude loud talkers in the back of the room; why people go to concerts only to yak amongst themselves during the performance is beyond me). Each of us had the capacity to be a part of the show, to stand out, to react and get a reaction.

The ever-affable Ryan thanked us for being there, but he had it backwards. We were richer for the experience; we were the ones in debt to him. We wandered into the mild summer night, music in our heads and songs in our hearts. | Laura Hamlett