Why you should always try to see the opening act [Unscripted]

Opening acts have a thankless job.

They’re often talked over, occasionally heckled and sometimes purposely missed altogether.

In some instances, openers go on to be bigger stars than the bands they opened for. For example, Led Zeppelin opened for Vanilla Fudge in 1968, and Queen opened for Mott the Hoople in 1974.

While only time will tell if that will be the case with the opening act that inspired this column, I’m sure glad I made it to the show on time to see him.

In 2019, I scored tickets to see Better Oblivion Community Center, the musical collaboration between Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst and young singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Oberst is my favorite artist of all time, and Bridgers is by far my favorite act to emerge in recent years.

A tall, blonde fellow named Christian Lee Hutson opened the show, at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. Hutson dressed conservatively in a sweater layered over a dress shirt with trousers. He looked more ready to help me update my insurance policy than to open a rock show.

Hutson’s music is defined by the pairing of his deft fingerpicking with a reserved vocal delivery. But to write off his singing is to miss the best stuff: the lyrics. Like a painting, Hutson’s songs are best experienced by spending some time with them. Turn your ear away for a moment, and you may miss the punchline. His mix of musical witticism with sensitive instrumentals exists somewhere between Randy Newman and Elliott Smith.

Before that Union Transfer show, I had heard his single “Northsiders” on WXPN. But with every new-to-me song he played during his set, I discovered another I loved.

A highlight was “Get the Old Band Back Together,” a rollicking, hilarious number about 30-somethings trying to keep their hobbies alive as life’s demands put up a fight. The song is so catchy that my fiance emailed Hutson’s manager to ask when the song’s studio version would be released. Luckily, we had to wait only a few months for the release of Hutson’s debut album “Beginners.”

During the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, I fell deeper into fandom, mesmerized by Hutson’s livestream performances on Instagram. During one of these couch concerts, he shared a truly inspired acoustic cover of Sum 41’s bombastic anthem “Fat Lip.” Who knew “Storming through the party like my name was El Niño” could sound so tender? Bless the person who took a screen recording of that clip and posted it on YouTube, a video I revisit monthly and share freely.

Fast forward to 2022, and Hutson hit the road with Oberst again, this time with Bright Eyes. The tour visited The Met in Philadelphia on April 8, and my friends and I made darn sure to arrive on time for the opening set.

Joined this time by a drummer and bassist, Hutson played a mix of songs from his debut record as well as his excellent, recently released sophomore effort “Quitters.” He even threw in a cover of a song by Texas indie duo Hovvdy. This time, the crowd was much more attentive, and Hutson seemed more assured as a performer, too.

I can’t recommend “Quitters” (produced by Oberst and Bridgers) enough. “State Bird,” a highlight track, riffs off the Instagram account “Siblings or Dating?” — a game that is disturbingly more difficult than one may imagine.

“Strawberry Lemonade,” the record’s first single, juxtaposes heartbreaking scenes like saying goodbye to an old friend with getting slapped in the face with a giant foam finger.

And “OCDemon” perfectly captures the agony of that mental illness with necessary humor. (I feel comfortable saying so, as I have OCD, too.) I particularly love Hutson’s decision to focus the first verse on a symptom that’s not as visible as other compulsions: the fear that you’re a bad person who thinks evil thoughts, and worse yet, that someone is going to find you out.

And yet, even with that heavy topic, Hutson manages to craft an earworm chorus so catchy that I can’t stop singing it.

At that recent Philadelphia show, I visited the restroom in between Hutson’s and Bright Eyes’ sets. While waiting for a stall, a fellow concertgoer asked loudly, “What was that opening guy’s name? He was fantastic.”

I was more than happy to answer the question.

Jenelle Janci is team leader for Life & Culture for LNP | LancasterOnline. “Unscripted” is a weekly entertainment column produced by a rotating team of writers.

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