Last night, Josh Ritter serenaded a packed house at the 9:30 Club for what was a great Valentine’s Day show. With microphone stands wrapped in roses and the band members sporting flowers of their own, love was in the air.

Josh Ritter played around with the auspicious night, assuring those dragged along by significant others that, one way or another, they would have a good night. Also, to the background of schmaltzy lounge music, he took a couple breaks to read short dedications that fans had submitted previously. Anniversaries spanning a couple months to several decades, a salute to “snow, meatballs, and a broken bed”, declarations of hetero bromance, and even a marriage proposal (she said yes). He even led the crowd through what may have been the largest slow dance in DC at that specific time to the throaty sound of the baritone sax.

I first saw him at the Newport Folk Festival back in 2009, where his enthusiasm and simple joy in playing was absolutely infectious. He’s still got it.

As a songwriter, I think he can stand up there with the best of them. Intelligent, clever, nuanced, concise, insanely catchy, all the good stuff. If you thought that nuclear missile technicians could never be made into the subject of an excellent (and earnest!) love song, listen to The Temptation of Adam. Monster Ballads is another favorite. Folk Bloodbath plays with a familiar refrain in a great way. Try To the Dogs or Whoever if you want to have a song stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Or Right Moves (check out that mustache!). I could go on and on.

How can you go wrong with a smile like that?

Oh yeah, I don’t know why, but there was a Maine flag draped on stage (so were California and Iowa, but that’s not important). Represent.