Matt Pond + Jake Bellows + Tyler Fortier September 3, 2013 Cozmic Pizza, Eugene, Oregon

Let's talk for a minute about dancing. Little kids do it and it is adorable. Middle schoolers look delightfully awkward. But as we falter into adulthood, our dance style often becomes a bellweather of our self-worth. Those that dance, that let out all the stops with their twirls and prancing, may incur judgment but they number of fucks they give is exactly zero. Zero. The people that hold back and are openly embarrassed—they get the wrath of mockery as well, but it can jeopardize their level fun. Why do we care? Dancing is an individual activity, there are no rules and yet society makes us feel we are doing it “right” or “wrong”.

The opening acts for Matt Pond illustrated the more awkward end of this equation. Tyler Fortier and Jake Bellows both did solo acoustic sets and would be hard to tell apart. Both seemed slightly nervous, sang about the lost loves and nature, and chattered awkwardly with the audience. It was nothing new in the world of music, nor was it done to the best of their abilities. They seemed too aware of every word and note and one misstep could lead them to paralyzing self-consciousness.

Matt Pond is no stranger to the road, in fact, it could be argued that his touring is just as well-known as his albums. There's been recent buzz about him dropping the “PA” from the band name, but here's the rub—people who listened to his music understood it was his evolving vision the whole time. When he took the stage at Cosmic Pizza with other musicians alongside him, it felt just like the last time I saw him play. He has a knack for finding great musicians to play with and this posse was no exception. Backing up his recently released “solo” album, The Lives Inside the Lines of Your Hand, “Bring Back the Orchestra” was played with vibrancy and exuberance. Still a little dorky and lovable, Pond seemed aware but unfazed by the chatter from the audience. Where he opening acts would stumble, he soared and proved that to get better at anything (singing, playing, the proverbial dancing) you have to keep going, and do it without fear.