Brooklyn welcomes Jonathan Richman

Photo: Ryan Dombal

March 4 & 5, Music Hall of Williamsburg

Looking as though he’d just flown in from Ibiza, Richman shimmied his way through the first of two sold-out shows at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, racking up yuks and dusting off numbers culled from his many solo adventures as well as from his days as a Modern Lover. After one uncomfortably enthusiastic female fan was escorted someplace else for punctuating the first quarter-hour of Richman’s acoustic work (including a not quite appropriate “Springtime in New York”) with love shouts, another chided him shortly thereafter for the lack of love en español. [more]

Jonathan Richman Overwhelms the Ladies at First of Two Shows via New York Magazine

...last night I saw Jonathan Richman performing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A sold out venue, a good atmosphere and great sound. Tommy Larkins providing accompaniment on the drums. It had been a mild day in the city, around 55-60F, and I'd noticed that, weirdly, there was still the odd pile of snow hanging around from last week... so it was neat when Jojo made the same observation in an extended version of 'Springtime In New York', a song that unsurprisingly went down well with the locals. Jonathan was more relaxed than I've ever seen him before and it looked like he was really enjoying the show. Bizarrely though, after a fun set, he left everyone with a slow, moving song about his mother dying in a care home! Jaws could be heard dropping throughout the hall... When he'd finished the last note Jonathan told us that this tale should'nt be thought of as something sad but rather as a beautiful thing. If only we could all view the world through Jojo's eyes. [more]

Springtime in New York: Almost via Get On the Beam

You might recognize these guys from the movie "There's Something About Mary" as the singing duo that hangs out in trees, in front of buildings and all sorts of odd locations whenever something odd happens throughout the film.

It has probably been 10 years (give or take) since I last saw that movie, but Jonathan has lost none of his vigor or talent.

There were a number of songs dedicated to artists, like Vermeer, Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso (my favorite). He was also adept at singing songs in multiple languages (Spanish, Hebrew, Italian and English). It was pretty awesome all the way around.

Its not just his virtuosity that rocks, its his storytelling capability. Jonathan crafts the oddest descriptions of events to make us (the audience) understand where he is coming from. [more]

Jonathan Richman: Funny and Lyrical via Hansen Report

This is now the 4th time I've seen Richman, and, though it was unquestionably entertaining, it did remind me of the perils of seeing any artist you love in New York. First of all, it was in Williamsburg, which meant I had to deal with a bunch of rich, skinny hipsters that all looked like they were about 17 years old (you know, not to generalize or anything). I'm only in my mid-twenties, but does that already make me too old for this neighborhood? It certainly felt that way at times. [more+setlist]

Jonathan Richman at the Music Hall of Williamsburg via Better Chatter

It is fine by me if Jonathan Richman never plays anything larger than the Music Hall of Williamburg; it was like having a longtime friend come back from a trip abroad and recount stories of loves found and lost in the museums and cafes of...well, yes you get the idea. [more]

His Mystery Not of High Heels via Things Found in the Sea

more photos at Flickr:
Dan Patterson's pix of Jonathan Richman and Vic Chesnutt