SAT · Multiple times
Melvin Seals & JGB
Boulder Theater · Downtown
SUN · 8:00pm
The Tallest Man on Earth
Sunday, November 1 at Boulder Theater, Boulder
About this event
The Tallest Man on Earth is the stage name of Swedish singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson, who plays Boulder Theater with Andrea von Kampen. His solo folk shows are built around fingerpicked guitar and a strong, rasping voice. The art deco hall on 14th Street suits that kind of close, attentive set.
Who's playing
Kristian Matsson has performed as The Tallest Man on Earth for nearly twenty years. He is often compared to Bob Dylan, and he has said he came to Dylan through early American folk players like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. His newest album, Just Beyond Endless Mountain, draws on the Swedish folk music of his home region of Dalarna, including polskas and old field recordings. Andrea von Kampen joins him on this bill.
What to expect
Matsson is known for an energetic solo show. One New York Times description has him using every inch of his guitar cord to roam the stage, crouching, darting and stretching between songs. It is one man and one guitar, so the room stays quiet and focused. Boulder Theater opened in 1906 as an opera house and was rebuilt in 1936 as an art deco movie palace. Its hand-painted murals and marquee are still part of the room.
Why go
This tour follows a record that changes how his music sounds, with Swedish folk traditions now sitting alongside the American ones he was first compared to. Hearing those songs solo in a historic Boulder hall is a good way to see where his writing has gone.
Where
Boulder Theater · 2032 14th St. · Boulder CODirections
