Great show last Saturday with a friend. Madison Cunningham is a very underrated talent.
S.G. Goodman
Opener was an Americana/country singer/songwriter from Kentucky with her band. Not quite my vibe, but still enjoyable. My friend was impressed enough that she followed Goodman on Instagram. As the photos would indicate, we were situated in front early within ~2min of doors open to venue.
Madison Cunningham
Truth be told, the underlying reason for my initial ticket purchase from several months ago in mid-May was purely from my friend's recommendation. I'm glad I took the chance on this one; Madison is a wonderful performer.
18 song setlist, including encore!
Post-show
We were conversating with another concertgoer behind us, who we learned came from Virginia for a week-long visit to PDX, just before Goodman took stage. The conversation continued just afterward to just share our enjoyment and admiration of both Goodman's and Cunningham's performances. We wished one another other well for the night, and headed to the merch table, where my friend was generous enough to secure me an LP of
Who are you now, as a thank you for purchasing a few records for her from months ago and covering the dinner bill in the hours before the show, as well as a shirt and tote bag for herself
. Hung around for a few minutes waiting for Doug Fir Lounge staff/musicians to come on stage for gear takedown. I approached one of them to request the copy to be signed, simultaneously offering a Sharpie from my bag. She obliged, asked for my name and after providing it, whisked away to backstage for ~30sec. She hastily returned the Sharpie and LP to me, now adorned with an elegant signature, albeit sans personalization.
My friend asked the staff member for the same immediately after mine was secure in my bag. Seconds later, a few ladies marking the next members of a line behind us requested for my pen to be used, as they bought posters/LPs at the merch table to be signed. Before I had a chance to respond, the same staff member reassured the ladies (and everyone else interested in signed merch) that Madison herself had some pens and that she would be available momentarily in person to sign merch/chat for a few minutes. My friend, who claims that Madison is among her favorite artists of the past few years, was eager to speak with her for a minute or two. Sure enough, she appeared from the stage curtains on the right. My friend took a minute or so to just say thank you for the concert, and to thank Madison for shouting her out on a random IG post. When my turn came, I simply just thanked Madison for stopping by Portland, to hopefully come back soon, and to have a safe rest of the tour.
Madison's brand of singer/songwriter music is not necessarily my cup of tea, but it was a delight in a live concert setting. I'm glad that I took the chance on this show, and glad I could go with a friend who enjoys it more than I.
www.setlist.fm
