On Wednesday night June 13th I had the privilege of seeing Jonathan Richman for the first time in seven years and for the third time ever. Jonathan Richman is difficult to explain as he’s quite unique. I describe him as sort of a folky punk with a quirky sense of humor.
This concert, was just Jonathan, an acoustic guitar and a drummer (Tommy Larkins) who looked a lot like Elton John from my vantage point. The two complemented each other exquisitely. Still looking quite boyish for his sixty-seven years, his personality exudes boy-like wonder. He also knew how to get the audience to eat from the palm of his hand. When he performed I Was Dancing in The Lesbian Bar, almost everyone clapped and sang along. He often strutted to the front of the stage and did silly dances, one of which was a stereotypical impression of a gay guy dancing, which brought raucous laughter from the packed crowd. He even sang songs in Spanish and then in French and he had both accents down perfectly.
It was quite obvious that Jonathan enjoys playing to his audience as much as they love watching him. Thought this wasn’t just an audience watching a performer. He had them participating. This was most evident in a song called People Are Disgusting, when he bade the audience to yell, people are sooo disgusting each time he sang the name of the song.
The show lasted close to two hours, though I only knew this because of the time I returned to my car. It seemed much shorter. As I mentioned, the Crocodile was packed. If this show wasn’t a sell-out it was close to it. It heartens me to know that Seattle still remembers Jonathan Richman. He comes here so seldomly. There was no encore, but I can’t complain even though the nearly two hour seemed more like one. Jonathan Richman is a rare gem.
– Photos property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
