Nearly 50 years into his career, Jonathan Richman remains a singular figure in indie music. A soft-hearted punk legend who approaches the world with childlike wonder, Richman’s career includes leading early-’70s band the Modern Lovers, playing songs in a tree in a ’90s Farrelly Brothers blockbuster, and being covered by everyone from the Sex Pistols to David Bowie and being sampled by M.I.A. One of the most playful and eccentric live performers around, Richman’s shows are an uncommonly intimate experience, even on an off-night. It’s rare he plays any of his songs in a straight, recognizable form, but the immense, unfiltered joy he brings to each performance is something everyone should witness.

by Joshua James Amberson