by Andi Bricklin
Matt McAndrew has been a That Mag favorite since we first wrote about him a little more than a year ago, and again last October shortly after his first appearance on Season 7 of NBC’s The Voice. It was a whirlwind few months as McAndrew wowed viewers with heartfelt performances that landed him a top 10 iTunes charting spot week after week. He peaked at number 1 with the original song “Wasted Love”, dethroning the mighty Taylor Swift.
McAndrew did not win The Voice, much to the disappointment of his thousands of Twitter followers who were not quiet about it at all. As @marvelady put it: “AMERICA CHOSE CRAIG BUT THE WORLD CHOSE MATT MCANDREW! 1M VIEWS ON #WastedLove VIDEO!! #CheckMatt @MattMcAndrew.” It’s cool though, McAndrew has got this whole music industry thing together and under control. He just signed a management deal with Career Artist Management (Maroon 5), his video for “Wasted Love” has surpassed the 2 million mark, and he’s been travelling the country singing at events like the Green Bay Packers playoff game.
McAndrew’s homecoming show at the World Café Live sold out almost immediately, and although the majority of the audience was local, there were a few fans who had traveled to see him perform live and in person. One fan flew in from Los Angeles just to see this show. McAndrew did not disappoint.
It was just 5:30 p.m. and there was already a line to get into the show, which didn’t start until 8! There was an excited buzz in the air, and from where I was standing it seemed everyone had a personal connection to Matt. The lady I stood next to told me she was his school teacher, another person said that they were talking to him via social media, and you could overhear stories about how each person in the audience knew Matt. There was definiatly a large group representing the Barnegat Light scene for sure.
The impending snow did not deter anyone from coming out to McAndrew’s first official live show since The Voice, and the house was packed as he took the stage to hundred of ravenous fans. He performed a new original song, in fact most of the songs performed in the first set were new and original songs, not yet available for download. It seems like a great idea to debut your new work at a hometown show where there is an over whelming sense of unconditional love present.
He closed the first set with “So Lonely”; one of my personal favorites, and a great rocker from his album View of the Pines after assuring the audience that he was just taking a short break and that there was a lot more music to come. After about 10 minutes, McAndrew returned solo and performed a few songs he did on The Voice. He played “A Thousand Years” and “Blowers Daughter”, as well as a few of his own songs from the album. He started to build the show back up by bringing his guitarist onstage to perform as a duo. One lucky girl was brought on stage as well and McAndrew sang an Ed Sheeran cover just to her. She walked off the stage shaky kneed in full on swoon!
After the show an immediate meet and greet line formed that lead from the lobby and wrapped around well into the venue. Matt sat and spent time with each and every fan who wanted an autograph, photo or just to say hi. A sweet guy, energetic performer, brilliant songs, and a voice that could melt butter, what more can you ask for from an artist?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
The “Voice” is the only television show I watch. I knew from Matt’s first performance that he had something magical going on! My family and I waited anxiously each week to watch him perform. Love, love his style & the sound of his voice. Blessings to him and all that he does! Way to go Matt!!:)