The Tallest Man on Earth's journey to his two-night run at NYC's Webster Hall on Thursday (3/10) and Friday (3/11) was plagued with misfortune -- after first cancelling a US tour in the summer of 2019, he announced 2020 tour dates in support of his then-recent fifth album I Love You. It's A Fever Dream, only for those shows to be cancelled due to COVID-19. Two years later, we caught the Friday show as Kristian Matsson finally made his way back to his once-hometown of NYC, gleefully announcing upon his entrance onstage, "I've missed this city so much! You guys are a bunch of weirdos, just like me!"
Throughout the night, Matsson pulled together a career-spanning setlist, tearing through a mix of cuts from I Love You. It's A Fever Dream and tons of older gems. Cheers erupted across the room as Matsson began strumming the opening chords to "The Gardener" near the beginning of his set, as shard-like LED backdrops illuminated the stage. Matsson's presence in front of the crowd proved even more electrifying than the bright lights behind him, as he often leaped and bounced across the stage in-between verses, occasionally gazing outward into the audience. Songs indicative of this high energy included his performance of "1904," in which Matsson strummed on his guitar so passionately the cord broke off, grinding the song to a halt; or towards the end of "Love is All," where Matsson brought the already-powerful song to a close by laying down on the floor and flipping over whilst still strumming.