Jose Gonzalez @ the Bluebird 10/12/07

We saw everyone's favorite nimble-fingered and hirsute guitarist a couple weeks ago at the Bluebird. After mis-timing a birthday gift, getting lost in Denver like a couple of country rubes, and nearly losing our order at the bar across the street in the assembled Rockies mania, we found ourselves watching Jose Gonzalez at the Bluebird.

The crowd was agitated when we arrived, as Jose seemed to be even later than we were. Good news for us. A persnickety fellow, Jose, with a dead serious focus and emphasis on tuning. I loved it when he instructed the audience to only clap along if they were near the front and if they clapped for the entire song. And everyone obeyed! The set was short but beautiful, his sound was precise and his technique stunning. I preferred the songs from the new album but enjoyed them all. In the past I've felt his songs all sound a bit alike but in person discovered I was mistaken on that.

The big question: why is Jose playing in rock clubs with no seats instead of concert halls with calibrated acoustics? More on this in a coming post!

Sorry my photos are crap, did I mention we were late?