Welcome to America, How may I help you?

Oh my God. Just got home from seeing Will Kimbrough at the Basement. And I don't even know where to begin. I'd been on the fence about going-tired, third night this week I'd be out, money-but it's Will. Gotta support Will, wouldn't want to alien deciding to leave this planet for a more conducive realm.
Got there just about at 9-forced my way through the already big crowd to get a Shiner. As I stepped off the ramp to the main part of the club someone ran into me.
"Oof!" said me.
"sorry," mumbled the offender.
"'S'alright," I said, only then looking up.
"Oh hey! Sorry, 'bout that," Will smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
"Yeh, geez, I paid good money to see you and you beat me up."

The first act was good enough. But I don't have much room for ernest singer-songwriters. Not because I don't like them, but because that kind of music is best listened to alone, while eating chocolates.

Will got onstage probably around 10-ish. I didn't have a watch. The crowd had probably doubled from when I'd gotten there and the club was well over what I would call capacity. I took a spot over by the merch table (being run by miniature Kimbroughs) and stood on a chair for most of the set.
The new album is highly political and obviously awesome. It was great to see someone up onstage-on a personal career upswing making a statement against war and for peace--against the President and for the people. Against the Christian Wrong and for Jesus. He's so freakin' awesome it's not funny. Even when it really is-like at the end of the show when he was shakin' it singing about going on vacation in Kurdistan during "Betty Was Black"
The crowd was much more huge than the Basement should accomodate-but everyone was friendly and we made room for each other. Even tho that was a physical impossibility.
I was trying to figure out what it is about how Will performs. He's unassuming in person-on stage too, in a way. But he commands the crowd-can pull them in, play outrageous too good to be for real riffs-he can growl a lyric or sing a quiet love song. I was trying to draw a comparison and I can't. The music he's playing is his own-but it is a reflection of the songs and performers that are meaningful to him. That's a great compliment-it may not sound like it-but it is. It's one thing to be derivative, that's not good. But to acquire knowledge and to incorporate that into a performance (any performance) is to push forward a form.
After the show I decided to get a t-shirt. The Americanitis t-shirts are great. They come in men and women's sizes and are of that soft, thin material that made classic rock t-shirts so classic. I asked for a medium. Will's wife Jessica searched through several bags.
"We were organized at the start of the night."
"And the worst part is, I'll have you looking for a medium and I'll end up needing a large."
She pulled a medium out of the pile and held it up to me, "I think you're a medium. And if you're not email me and I'll arrange to meet you somewhere so you can get a larger or smaller size."
"Thanks, can't pass that deal up."
I paid for the shirt, left, and got stuck in traffic in downtown Nashville.
The shirt fits in a manner that I shall call fantastico.