Passenger at the Ram's Head, Annapolis, MD

After writing many posts on my almost unhealthy obsession with UK pop rock group Passenger, I finally got the chance to see them live at the Rams Head in Annapolis, MD. A good 3 hours from my home of Richmond, VA but definitely worth it.

James joined me for the evening and made fun of my overenthusisam. He asked me if this would be my “Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show” experience and proceeded to fake cry and faint the entire night.

Baltimore singer/songwriter Ruut opened the show and it was clear that the majority of the crowd was there to see her - and understandably so. Her Tori Amos-like style drew me in immediately.

Mike Rosenberg took the stage and performed a beautiful version of “Stray Dog” and told the audience that he’d start off with the most depressing song and hopefully things would get brighter and more upbeat.

The rest of the band (minus the bassist and keyboardist, touring costs being what they are…) joined Mike on stage for the rest of the set. I thought I would know every single song they would play that evening, but instead Passenger throws a curveball and plays three songs that I actually don’t know – “Moon on the Water,” “What Do You Think” and “Playstation Song,” which is already becoming one of my new favorites.

The band returned to familiar territory with “Things You’ve Never Done,” “Walk in the Rain” and “For You,” where Mike apologized for bringing another depressing song into the mix. Other highlights of the night included the band's rather stunning rendition of Rihanna’s "Umbrella" followed by a very energetic "Table For One" and Mike singing along with someone’s ringtone.

The final song of the evening, “Walk You Home,” excuse me, “Night Vision Binoculars,” got everyone clapping and moving in their seats. I, of course, was singing along and caught Mike Rosenberg's eye. James grabbed his face and pretended to scream and cry. "He looked right at you!"

I have to admit i was a little star-struck meeting the guys after the show and was only able to say a few words to them. But they were just as cool in person as they were onstage and I was able to go home very happy.

The US version of Wicked Man's Rest, which includes 2 additional tracks not on the UK version, is available tomorrow. Do yourself a favor and buy it here.

Night Vision Binoculars (Live)