Chicago is Matt Nathanson‘s kinda town Friday: He’s releasing his new EP Postcards (From Chicago), and playing not one, but two concerts in Evanston, IL tonight to celebrate.
“We knew it was going to sell out quick and if it was only one show, it would have been a bummer for folks,” Matt tells ABC Radio about the shows. “So we just decided to jam two in one night and kind of make it like a two-show hootenanny as opposed to one.”
Postcards (From Chicago), recorded during a few days off during Matt’s 2018 tour, features a handful of songs by artists from or associated with Chicago, from Fall Out Boy and Chance the Rapper, to Richard Marx and Cheap Trick. The shows tonight will feature those songs and more.
“There are certain songs that didn’t make the record, but that doesn’t mean we can’t play them live,” Matt says. “We’ve got a couple fun ones up our sleeve that we didn’t do on the record. I’m not going to tell you what they are…but it rhymes with ‘Oreo Speed Dragon.'”
O.K., so fans can look forward to hearing at least one song by REO Speedwagon tonight. Other songs that didn’t make the record that Matt may decide to play? “I Can’t Hold Back” by Survivor and “Black Skinhead” by Kanye West.
Matt, who released an EP last year that consisted solely of Def Leppard covers, decided to make Postcards (From Chicago) because he’s always loved Chicago. He says the audiences are great, and so are the music stores and the bookstores.
“It’s just always been kind of a cool manageable rad little universe,” he says. “And they make gluten-free deep-dish pizza. So, like, what else do I need?”
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