Matt and Kim Keep the Party Going at Rams Head Live! - 9/23/23

“Now see, that’s fuckin’ Baltimore. Baltimore’s always down,” Kim Schifino exclaimed to a packed room at Rams Head Live Saturday night. Schifino, along with Matt Johnson who make up the New York-based duo Matt and Kim, have a way of turning a soggy, wind-swept evening into a party in the span of a few minutes. As Tropical Storm Ophelia swept over much of Baltimore, Matt and Kim had the capacity crowd beaming.

“When I heard it was the first day of fall, I made some calls and had them extend summer one more day,” Matt told the crowd. Billed as the Matt and Kim Present: The Matt and Kim Tour feat. Matt and Kim, the couple have been back on the road after what seemed like four long years. And, it’s true, their music is a lot like summer. It’s poppy and energetic, and, most of all, sweaty fun!

To the sounds of “Singing in the Rain,” with accompanying video of Gene Kelly dancing along, Matt and Kim took the stage and immediately went into “Block After Block.” With both on a riser on top of the stage, the two took turns hyping up the crowd. Kim bashing away at the drums while Matt sang, “Hey friends, we’ll jump the turnstiles / And cut it down while the lights are out / Eyes closed and shouting right now.”

And to say this was an interactive show would be the understatement of the century. Yelling, “everybody jump!,” Matt and Kim went right into the staccato “Overexposed.” From the get-go I could tell this was no ordinary show. First was how much energy this duo had before even five minutes went by.

As the duo ran around the drum risers they popped off confetti. And there was even some friendly moshing going on. “Traditionally, growing up hardcore this is the wall of death,” Matt continued. “But tonight it’s the wall of love.” And as a recorded video of the actor Charlie Day saying, “Wildcard, Bitches,” everyone from each side ran together and danced up a storm to “Like I Used to Be.”

Taking a breather, Kim told the audience, “I feel like you know!” giving a knowing wink. “You deserve a medal when you pop off and we appreciate it. Something that goes straight to my heart is mother fucking crowd surfing, as Kim handed medals out to crowd surfers on the dance floor.

Giving the audience the choice between the songs “Lessons Learned” and “Good For Great,” a big audience meter was put up at the back of the stage. Clearly “Good For Great” won out as Matt told the crowd, “This song didn’t make the set for a number of years, so this song’s for you.” “We sing along, but the notes are wrong, we sing along through night and dawn,” the whole venue chanted along to the chorus.

With a brief Ramones themed break, Matt and Kim threw out balloons to the audience to blow up, and while the band played “GO GO” when it came to the chorus, the crowd threw up the balloons, many making their way up the the second and third floor balconies. But that wasn’t the only crazy moment of the night. As Matt played “Lightspeed” solo, Kim crowd-surfed back to the bar at the end of the hall and then back to the stage with drink in hand.

Confetti, crowd surfing, massive dildo drumsticks, this show had it all. But they kept the best for last with the hit, “Daylight.” But feeling the crowd they ended up playing the song twice, the second time with, as Matt put it, “the extended intro.” It was an brilliantly fun show and one not to miss on tour as Matt and Kim continue through the Fall with a stop at Oceans Calling in Ocean City, Maryland on September 30.

The setlist included:

Block After Block
Overexposed
Yeah Yeah
Steal a Yellow Cab
Cameras (with some Sorry Ms Jackson by Outkast)
Like I Used to Be
Now
Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare
Good For Great
Hey Now
As It Was (Harry Styles)
GO GO
Get It
Lightspeed
It’s a Fact (Printed, Stained)
Silver Tiles
Daylight
Daylight (extended version)