Matt Pond PA – DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, Matt Pond, from the indie pop/rock band, Matt Pond PA, reveals who he would want on his ultimate tour lineup. You can check out their picks, after the break.

I was on a dream tour once. I was opening for The Clientele as a member of The Wooden Birds. Every night, Alasdair played his mystical guitar with Lee Press-On Nails — finger-plucking at the steel Telecaster strings with his shiny fingertips.

The Clientele was supporting Bonfires on the Heath, performing songs that resonated with my nervous system. It was hard to breathe when they strummed the first chords of Never Anyone But You. It was like stopping time and living inside a dream.

I think I drank too much back then. I would try to tell them how much I loved their music after every show. Stumbling through my words with a Bell’s Two Hearted in hand. In the corners of empty rock clubs, the drummer and bass player would tolerate my praise, my reenactments of the alchemy they had just created on stage. I was undoubtedly the archetype of an annoying fan. But I was — and will forever be — a dedicated believer in their music.

If I were to do it again, I would choose Tom Petty — with The Clientele and my band opening.

Tom Petty. I don’t think anyone has ever been as clear or consistent as an artist. I don’t think any artist has ever been a cooler human being. He was the kind of cool that rings true — none of it seemed like an act.

To drive around the country and hear Wildflowers, Don’t Do Me Like That, It’s Good To Be King, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, more, more, more. Everything he wrote, every night. Each room would have a new mix, each hall a singular reverb and sensation. There’s nothing like being a million miles away from home with an audience of strangers and singing all the same words.

And since I don’t drink as much as I used to, I’d be able to convey all of this to Tom after the show. We’d laugh in the same way. Because we both have big front teeth that are impossible to cover up when the world is right.

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