Kristian Mattson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth (who is, if anything, slightly less than average height), has a lot of energy. It takes a certain amount of presence and charisma to command a stage playing solo, especially in a room the size of Strathmore. Kristian has it in spades, though, and he captivated the audience in his recent performance there.
After opening on April 8 with a couple of older songs — “Fields of Our Home” and “This Wind” — Mattson addressed the current situation, saying “I don’t know what I’m allowed to say in this country anymore.” Mattson hails from Sweden, and these are precarious times in America for foreigners, with individuals critical of the government being denied entry into the country. He added that it’s “super easy as a 40-year-old white dude to be in opposition to things.”
While he grew up and continues to live in Scandinavia (he returned to Sweden after spending a number of years in New York), Mattson is deeply influenced by American roots music. He discovered Bob Dylan, who became his principal influence, as a teenager. Through Dylan, he found a point of entry into the broader tradition of American folk. While the Swedish countryside may be very far from Minnesota’s Iron Range, where the Bard of Minnesota grew up, the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes has a large Scandinavian population, and you can hear some of Dylan’s unique nasal twang in Kristian’s voice, though he sings, as was said of Tom Petty, like Dylan in tune.
The set continued with “Every Little Heart,” a song from his most recent album, 2023’s Henry St. The album marked a departure of sorts for Kristian, as he recorded with a full band for the first time. In addition to embracing a fuller sound, the album also sees Matsson writing more joyful, upbeat songs, like “Looking For Love.” Kristian also played the album’s title cut. He is working on new material, and played one of those songs, “Deep Within.”
Watch the official music video for “Every Little Heart” by The Tallest Man on Earth via YouTube:
Between “Every Little Heart” and “1904,” Matsson thanked The Still Tide, who opened the show, noting he “wasted many of Anna’s good years when she was touring with us as a guitar tech.” The showed moved onto “Looking For Love” and “Into The Stream,” then “Major League,” about his youthful experiences playing baseball (not very well), on banjo.
The performance was kinetic and intense, and, several times between songs, Matsson stopped to wipe the sweat from his face with a towel. Other songs included “The Gardener,” “Like The Wheel,” “Love Is All,” “Revelation Blues,” and “Rivers.” He finished the set with “King of Spain,” and, for his encore, played Adele’s “When Were Young” and “Kids on the Run.”
Opening duo The Still Tide represented a curious contrast with the Tallest Man: An electric guitar and synth duo, their music seemed to be a from very different world, and it came as a bit of a surprise. They described their music as “a bunch of sad songs about broken hearts, broken dreams, and broken hands.” They did incorporate one element often seen in folk music, field recordings, using samples recorded from a motorcycle trip in India. “Grow Again” addressed “growing up when you feel a little different.” (I could only somewhat relate, as I felt a lot different. Like, from another planet.) Another song tackled “being in a long distance relationship.”
To be honest, I’m not wild about synths, which makes listening to a lot of music from the ’80s difficult for me. While the Still Tide’s milieu isn’t generally my sort of thing, the songs are well-constructed, and they do what they do well. (It is possible to recognize art as being done with skill and competence even when it’s not to one’s taste.)
While the audience may not have been expecting what they got with the Still Tide, The Tallest Man on Earth more than lived up to expectations. Kristian delivered a fantastic performance, breathing life and energy and vitality and dynamism into a set of fantastic songs.
Here are some photos of Tallest Man on Earth performing at Strathmore Music Center on April 8, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of The Still Tide opening Tallest Man on Earth at Strathmore Music Center on April 8, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
