Playlist Rewind: Eric Hutchinson at the North Star, 12/14/08

There aren't many performers who are surer bets to be worth the money you put down to see them than Eric Hutchinson (MySpace). Hutchinson is engaging, comedic, affable and, oh yeah, talented. Really freakin' talented. And at $12 (or $15 if you waited til the day of the show), his concert at the North Star this past Sunday was an absolute bargain.

Heck, Hutchinson's primary support, Meaghan Smith (MySpace) justified the price of admission on her own. There are a bunch of talented (and a ton of not-so-talented) female singer-songwriters out there, and it'd be easy for a good one to get lost in the shuffle. But Smith has a very interesting niche sound, reminiscent of 1920s and 30s cabaret-style music. If she didn't have the whole retro-hipster vibe going on, we could easily see her in an evening gown in front of a big circular microphone in a smoky speakeasy. Throw in some really sharp, and usually funny, lyrics about her collection of deranged and damaged ex-boyfriends (including a prison escapee who kidnapped her), and her really adorable relationship with her guitarist-husband, and we were charmed. Smith has a 4-song EP out at the moment, will release a full album sometime in 2009, and is well worth your time to give a listen to.

Once Smith finished up her set, we were good and primed for Eric Hutchinson. And what we got from him was the best show we've seen him do—and we've seen him give a few outstanding performances. Last time we saw him, we criticized him based on the sameness of his shows. This show, though, felt different. That's likely because, as Hutchinson's fan base grows and shows more enthusiasm, he returns the favor. The crowd at the North Star was clearly there to see Eric, and the crowd knew every word of every song. Well, almost every song; Eric did play two new songs, which injected some good variety into the set. Plus, he did an impromptu song encouraging the people on the North Star balcony not to "rock too hard," lest they break a hole through the balcony floor and come crashing down onto those of us below. All of this created a different experience from our previous encounters with him, and he appears to be approaching his music (and self-marketing) even more aggressively than he had been before.

Eric Hutchinson may never be a superstar. But if he's not, you'll just have to color us confused.

Setlist: You've Got You / Outside Villanova / Food Chain / Sad Songs / Double Decker improv / It Hasn't Been Long Enough / It Hasn't Been Long Enough (a la Cher) / All Over Now / You Don't Have to Believe Me / OK, It's Alright with Me / I Think You Should Go / My Girl (Ignition interlude) / Oh!

Encore: Back to Where I Was / Rock & Roll

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