Until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know Dean Wareham. But a friend invited me along because one of his favorite Dutch alt.country bands was opening for Wareham at dB’s, right here in Utrecht.

In preparation, I took a deep dive into Wareham’s catalog, but I didn’t immediately connect with the key moments. It turned out I had heard his music before — and even reviewed it. In the early 2000s, I listened to a couple of albums he made with his wife under the name Dean & Britta, for hanx.net, a website I ran with two friends.

But that night, from the very first notes, I was shown a beauty I hadn’t picked up on during my prep. Wareham’s storytelling is lovely, but above all, it’s his guitar — that “why my guitar gently weeps” kind of sound — that truly stands out. He played a few songs from his new solo album, but he, Britta, and the drummer clearly knew what the crowd came for: the Galaxie 500 and Luna classics.

Highlights included Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste, 23 Minutes in Brussels, and a truly stunning Listen, the Snow is Falling, sung beautifully by Britta. But naming just three songs doesn’t do justice to the rest of the set.

The show felt like an invitation to dive deeper — I want to understand this alt.pop better. But it also confirmed something I’ve long suspected: when a band is playing just around the corner, you really should go.