There are few people talented enough to give me goosebumps as soon as I see them. Anthony Raneri is on that short list.
I watched a recording of his acoustic set at the VWT at the Hartford stop. He started with "Don't Call Me Peanut", a ballad that touches my heart each time I hear it. His voice is so perfect and beautiful. It's so passionate and that song always makes me want to cry. To hear him perform it makes it that much more powerful. As I'm listening to it, it's all I can do not to sing along at the top of my lungs.
He did "Sandra Partial" as well, a tune off his solo EP. One thing I love about this is the fact that the crowd is singing it right back at him, with just as much emphasis as the performer. It's so great, and hearing it live for the first time makes it now my favourite on the EP. It's so catchy and fun, and it's even better live- the quality of his music is just further proven by how he pays attention to every detail both live and recorded. His guitar skills are astounding, combined with his smooth voice make for a perfect blend. It's gorgeous.
My favourite Bayside tune is "On Love, On Life", and I'd never seen it performed until I watched this recording. I was absolutely blown away. The fact that he can evoke such emotion in me just from seeing a video is ridiculous. It brings tears to my eyes hearing the crowd sing the tune back so loudly, and to see Raneri putting every ounce of himself into playing this song.
Anthony Raneri's solo acoustic set was by far the most incredible performance I've seen in a very long time. He has so much talent and it gave me the chills to see his set. I love his lyrics, his voice, his guitar skills; they are all impossible to match