The Queen Theatre announces October 28th Matthew Sweet concert.

Tickets go on sale this Friday.  Matthew Sweet will be playing his seminal 1991 album, Girlfriend, in its entirety.  Here's the link: http://queentickets.worldcafelive.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=193

On one hand this could be a fun nostalgia show for people my age.  The "Girlfriend" single was massive when I was a kid.  On the other hand, I can't help remembering a Sweet interview I read in the mid-nineties.  In the article, he unabashedly stated that his production team had penned his then-upcoming single with the primary goal of marketing it to the widest demographic.  Everything from lyrical content to guitar hooks had been carefully manipulated with customer tastes in mind. 

Despite what you might think, my first reaction was actually to be impressed with his honesty. Here was a songwriter who wasn't afraid to admit that his writing was purely market-driven - something many are guilty of, but would never admit.   Finally, someone who was upfront about being a salesman as much as a musician. 

But as that interview ripened in my brain over the next week, I found myself completely turned off of Matthew Sweet.  Brutal honesty aside, nobody wants to find out that an artist they've admired is writing lyrics and hooks that they believe will draw in the broadest market.  I'm aware that it happens all the time, but it's beyond distasteful to read it in black and white.

So when I hear that Matthew Sweet is doing a tour playing his most popular album, I can't help but feel that old skepticism that this is a calculated move to sell tickets.  But aren't most bands guilty of that, to some degree?  The answer is absolutely, but it's like the illicit sexual exploits of politicians - we know many of them are doing it, and we're willing to pretend not to know, as long as they don't get caught and admit to it.  Once that happens, all bets are off.

Then again, that interview was published a long time ago, and maybe I'm overthinking things.   Let the people have their early-nineties nostalgia - the man is certainly not peddling hit singles anymore.   He's just a singer with a couple of old hits under his belt, probably looking to put a kid through a good college, like so many other aged rockers doing a yearly tour circuit.  And what's so wrong about that, as long as they can still hit the notes and deliver a show?  Enjoy it if you go.