Josh Rouse

Josh Rouse is a favorite of the family, especially my wife. She had not seen him live before and was totally enchanted with his performance. The intimate HOB setting allowed for up close interaction. Josh's guitar playing and vocals were true and he was accompanied by an outstanding drummer and second guitar...Don't recall his name but he was phenomenal! The opening act, Arthur Yoria, was a pleasant addition. He is very gifted and we have already purchased some of his songs from iTunes. My 23 year old son and his girlfriend equally enjoyed the performances.

Josh and his band should be filling much larger venues by now. It's a travesty that he's not better known. Josh keeps on writing and recording great songs that infuriatingly few people are lucky enough to hear. He is a skilled performer as well. And what a great performance last Friday. He played a solo acoustic Sad Eyes to begin his encore. He sat on the edge of the stage and strolled into the crowd, making the show all the more personal. In a much larger club or arena show you'd never achieve this level of intimacy. Imagine seeing Elvis or The Beatles in a small basement club with a hundred or so polite fans in attendance. Oh my God, how wonderful. Musically though, I prefer Josh's catalog to Elvis' any day. He and the band were tight and well rehearsed. They rocked on several numbers. But the thing I like best about Mr. Rouse is his use of strong melodies. I'm not into high energy dance numbers. I like beautiful pop songs, melodic rockers, and lyrics with a story to tell or vivid poetic imagery. That's always been Josh Rouse's forte. And he delivered the best of his catalog from the middle of his career thus far and from his latest release. The lead guitarist gets a nod for providing a very full sound covering for the lack of keyboards and steel guitar which were present in the original recordings but absent in the live show. The rhythm section did a fantastic job as well.

We saw him in Chicago on the Nashville tour & was so excited to hear he was coming to St. Louis this time around. The show was incredible! Josh & his band are amazing! Not to be missed!

Josh plays great music and puts on a great show! No opener, just all Josh Rouse all the time. Acoustic encore was incredible!

What a great show! The venue was very intimate, and one could very easily access the front of the stage, bar, or balcony. Josh played 19 phenomenal songs, including two acoustic. Great vocals, a spectacular band (guitar player was awesome), and just a fun and exciting vibe throughout the show.

Great venue, fantastic artist. Only wish he came to the states more...

Really, the only issue I had with the entire show was this annoying person standing to my right that yelled out multiple times during about half the set. Josh should've put that down, probably. Otherwise, it was exactly what you would prefer to have in a set from him, and his backing-band has some real kick!

Pretty good, very much Josh Rouse essence and great location for the performance.

Josh was in fine form as was his excellent Spanish band. Great songs, very comforting sounds.

Was excited to see him at my favorite NYC venue - but he just wasn't big enough to fill even this intimate gem of a space with energy. Snooze. As my wife noted, better to leave this "easy-listening" for chilling around the homefront.

The great melodies and tight groove once again shine for Josh and band!

I have been a big fan of Josh Rouse for 10 years. But I found his show on April 25 to be very disappointing. It seemed like he and his band just "got through it" to me. The show lasted a little over an hour. He played only 4 or 5 songs I knew and liked. I didn't find his new material to be very strong. I saw him in Austin back in 2003 and he put on an amazing show then - perhaps I am disappointed because he set such a high bar then. I believe Josh is an enormous talent and can do better.

I think a lot of people waste five-star reviews by overusing them. That said, I give this night five stars. What can I say, Josh Rouse is an amazing artist who loves what he does. Performing on stage is as natural for him as drawing breath. And sitting 10 feet away from him at The Birchmere you can see how much he loves what he does.

He doesn't tour often, but when he does it's always an enjoyable event. With his growing back catalog of songs to choose from, he could have easily played for another few hours. Both Rouse and his band are outstanding.... Can't wait to see him perform again!

Great artist - largely unknown. But he puts on a great show. My wife and I love his music! Don't miss a chance to see him!

We have seen him 6 times since his second album 'Home' and has never disappointed. A new supporting band sounded great as well. Played some old stuff in an encore. Definitely recommend seeing him when he in the states. Wish he was here more often.

He played old songs and new ones - including 1972, The Man Who Doesnt Know How To Smile, Love Vibration & Winter in the Hamptons. Very enjoyable laid back night of great music. Highly Recommended!

Josh Rouse was wonderful. The crowd was a bunch of stagnate weirdies. Come on people you're at a concert and all you can do is sit around and stare.

First up I have been a big fan for a long time. Josh Rouse is enormously talented but sometimes that is the problem- he doesn't realise how to use that talent to connect with his public. His latest musical phase takes him understandably to Spain/Valencia and he is happier for it- more relaxed. But 1 hour of Spanish- based music is likely to appeal to a certain type of fan. It is only when he reaches back into some of his older songs that the show really comes alive- and that's what the audience wants: to be entertained. The band is excellent but are reluctant to interact with the crowd. Maybe the seating venue did not help. I have not been to many great concerts where people sit. In all a slighly frustrating evening. Enough great songs to whet the appetite but ultimately I left still "hungry".

Josh Rouse and band played an excellent show. His song selection covered all of his albums. During the show, he mentioned it was the first show with his band but it was hardly noticeable. A particularly good multi-instrumentalist was on the piano.

Sound mix was muddy and quiet highs and lows were not heard. Band was talented - Josh bridges US and Europe - geek and cool - in a balanced and original way. Smooth voice.

Josh Rouse and his band were great. The only thing that I was not crazy about was hearing so much of the new stuff when the cd has not been released yet and the fact that I don't speak spanish as a number of the new songs were sung in Spanish. The songs were good, but since he doesn't come around that often I would have really liked to hear more of the older music that I love so much. I wish too that the show would have been a bit longer than a little over an hour. The sound was great though and I did enjoy it. He sounded great