William Fitzsimmons Live
I bought Mykala tickets to William Fitzsimmons on her birthday in January, and we finally got to see his show the other week. It was probably the best concert to which I’ve ever been. When the opener got up and just played a song on his acoustic guitar, sans-mic or pickup, I realized the earplugs I brought might be overkill (for once). I hate the cotton-eared feeling you get when you’ve been listening to loud music for too long. I’m also not a huge fan of hiding the (still embarrassing) fact that I’m wearing earplugs in a venue whose sole purpose is, ostensibly, to facilitate listening.
So, then William Fitzsimmons takes the stage. And, I think, Mykala and I expected him to have the more delicate voice that is his singing voice. It’s sad, beautiful music and he sings it with a voice that matches. By contrast, his onstage personality was funny and his voice was deep and commanding. Our audience was, for the most part, extraordinarily well-behaved; it was like listening to great music in your living room. I think the venue where we saw the concert, The Cedar Cultural Center, is a gem of the Twin Cities. The age range of attendees was 17-60 years, and you could tell these people were really here to listen and enjoy capital-m music.
Right now, my favorite song from William Fitzsimmons is Fade and then Return, but I think the best song of that night was Everything Has Changed. Really, shockingly good.