NSN with The Bridges & Matthew Sweet 11-9-08

This night’s opener, The Bridges, are a young group of siblings (Natalie, Stacey, Jeremy and Isaaca Byrd) and a cousin (Brittany Painter) whose debut album “Limits Of The Sky” was produced by headliner Matthew Sweet. When I talked to Matthew on the phone last Friday he said he was just a big fan of their music. As you might expect from a family group, the harmonies are spectacular. Their set was all songs from the debut album:

All The Words
One I Love
Echo
Runaway
Unconditional
One Way
To Say The Least
Pieces (which they identified as the first single)
Blue

Matthew Sweet and his veteran band rocked through a set that had a whole bunch of songs from his new album “Sunshine Lies,” his 10th studio album of his two-decade-plus career. It wasn’t until about half-way through that he got to some “hits.” “I’ve Been Waiting” and “Girlfriend” were performed with The Bridges onstage to lend a hand. The set ended with “Sick Of Myself.” Surprisingly, “What Matters,” “Where You Get Love,” “Evangeline,” and “Thought I Knew You” were not performed on this night, but I guess you can’t do ’em all. The set:

Time Machine
Room To Rock
Byrdgirl
Dandelion
We’re The Same
You Don’t Know Me
I’ve Been Waiting*
Girlfriend*
Sunshine Lies
Pull The Trigger
Ugly Truth
Flying
Sick Of Myself