Warning: Wordy, But Heartfelt Review Ahead...
Being recently introduced to the Jonathan Coulton phenomenon, I watched the concert on this DVD unfold with a mixture of exhilaration and despair. Despair? I'll explain.
The exhilaration came because within less than a month after discovering his music this past spring through a friend of mine, I learned that he was giving a concert here in L.A. I grabbed a ticket and found myself on the evening of the concert seated smack in the middle of the third row. I have never had so much fun at a concert in my life. (Name dropping: Felicia Day and Sandeep Parikh of The Guild and Al Yankovic were in the audience, and Wil Wheaton introduced the concert - the perks of living in L.A.) And then to find that he had a concert DVD that had just (and I mean *just*) become available and they were being sold in the lobby? I snapped one up (along with a Mandelbrot Set fractal t-shirt, but not a Skullcrusher Mountain one, curse the luck - they ran out of my size).
Watching the DVD confirmed that my live experience was not a fluke. Jonathan Coulton is gifted on every level - as a composer, lyricist, musician, singer, performer, entertainer, you name it. His tunes are the kind that you just can't get out of your head, in the good way. His lyrics are brilliantly written. His wistful guitar, warm voice and shy, yet sly, persona add up a throughly engaging presence, both on his recordings and in person. He has an easy intimacy on stage that clearly comes through on video, and if you get the chance to meet him and talk with him face to face, you can tell it's the real deal.
I have been proselytizing to everyone I can about Jonathan Coulton, in part for the many reasons I have mentioned, but also to give my support to a man who did what most of us only dream of doing. He quit his day job to follow his dream, to do what he was "supposed to do" as he puts it, and found success in doing so. More power to him, and to anyone who takes the same chance.
**Which leads to the ultimate point of writing any glowing review: BUY THIS NOW! Seriously. You will *not* regret it. You get the DVD of the concert loaded with extras including a full commentary and extra audience-filmed footage, PLUS the CD of the concert as well. If you only know the "album" versions, many of the songs are done in new ways that give you fresh takes on things you thought you already knew.
So don't think about it anymore, just buy it. Then you can watch it, come back here, read this all again and think to yourself "Wow, he was *so* on the money."
Oh, and where does the despair come in? The fact that I live in L.A, and this concert was filmed in San Francisco more than a year before I had ever heard of Jonathan Coulton. I dearly wish I had been able to be there. It's plain to see that everyone in the audience and on stage is having a ball, and that it was definitely a very special night and an experience to treasure for the lucky few that were there.
And there was cake.