On October 6th, Matt Maltese aka Matthew Gordon took the stage at Newport Music Hall. The show was filled with cute stories, swaying starry-eyed couples, and bits of spectacular birthday fun.
Maltese’s music is mostly indie pop, with gut wrenching melodies and chamber aspects. Most of his songs are about love or heartbreak, and it ended up being one of the most romantic shows I’d ever been to. One of the highlights of seeing an artist you haven’t listened to in a while is realizing how many songs you really know, which was definitely the case for me. Maltese played a great amount of older and new songs, with the highlights including “Curl Up and Die”, “Intolewd”, “Anytime, Anyplace, Anyhow”, and “Everyone Adores You (At Least I Do). These songs triggered memories I didn’t know I’d been holding onto since high school. It was bittersweet, a supercut of long lost moments paired perfectly with Maltese’s beautiful voice.
Another highlight of the show was that it was Maltese’s birthday! He and his band have a tradition where they bring someone up on stage to serenade them with “Happy Birthday”—not to be mistaken for the classic birthday song, but instead his own song by the same title. They brought a fan on stage for her 18th birthday, and it was really sweet and wholesome to see them all sing to her. Following that, the band brought out a huge cake and candles and serenaded Maltese (despite his protests). It was such a special moment to witness.
Recently, all the shows I’ve seen at Newport have been accompanied by spectacular lighting, and Maltese’s did not disappoint. The stage was covered by an ocean of blue light. It felt quite intimate and personal as Maltese sang softly with his band.
This show was quite wholesome and a great time for all involved, filled with much laughter, sing-a-longs, and silly stories. One of which was how Maltese’s cat allegedly inspired his hit song “As The World Caves In”. If anyone in the future has an opportunity to see Maltese live, I’d highly recommend it, and if you’re madly in love I would absolutely recommend checking out Maltese’s discography. He really writes songs for all the lovers out there.
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