As soon as I found out the Pomplamoose Season 2 #PompTour included Boston, we purchased tickets for the September 23 show at the Sinclair in Harvard Square. I may have slightly modified the lyrics to "September" as I counted down the days.
Much like our first Pomplamoose show, we began our evening with burgers and ice cream, this time at Shake Shack, before heading to the venue. We weren't too far back in the line, and scored a fantastic spot in the mezzanine right above the sound board. John Schroeder kicked off the show with a solo acoustic set. His Spanish guitar skills are off the chain, and his soulful songs are equally impressive.
One set change later, and the Pomplamoose band was on stage. Based on their 2011 show, I knew it would be crazy, entertaining, and full of amazing music. But they completely blew my expectations out of the water. Not only did they kill it with their set, Jack started a "mosh fractal" that culminated in a dance party, Nataly crowd surfed for the first time, and they capped off the evening with "La Vie en Rose" for an encore, with just Nataly singing and Jack playing accordion.
After the show, we landed at the end of the meet and greet line. It was late for a weeknight, but while we waited we had a great time chatting with Carlos, the drummer, as he shared more about Jack, Nataly, and the history of Pomplamoose.
When it was finally our turn to say hi, I didn't clam up like last time. And they remembered us! Also, they were still impressed with my Pomplamoose shirt, and Jack told me I look like Catherine Zeta Jones. They were so kind and patient, and they were incredibly accommodating for a Fingerwarmer fan photo.
Jack's full financial disclosure of the tour has drawn a flurry of criticism, but as a longtime fan who has attended both of their tours, I feel qualified to say they made a smart investment. The PompTour show was electric. Almost everyone we talked to in line before the show discovered them more recently, and that kind of performance can only solidify and grow their fan base. We have friends trying to make a living with music, and one thing they emphasize is they are small businesses, and if they don't treat their careers that way it isn't sustainable. The idea of artists creating art for the sake of art is romantic, but artists also have to pay the bills. I appreciate Pomplamoose's transparency, and hope they continue "making it" for a long time to come. We're already looking forward to the next Pomplamoose tour. Please come back to Boston!
See the rest of our PompTour photos on Flickr.