By: Logan Moeller
After returning from spring break the last thing I expected was a concert to be held in the school auditorium on the first Monday back. To my surprise the folk/pop artist Noah Kahan performed in the Braden Auditorium on Monday March 20th at 7:00pm. The show started with the opener Briscoe, which is a folk band composed of two college best friends Phillip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman. Briscoe was the perfect opener for Noah Kahan because they provided chill music to ease us into the event while also keeping us interested in their art. Although I am not familiar with Briscoes music, I really enjoyed their sound and have been listen to their song “Hooped Earrings” on repeat. The standout song they performed for me was their cover of the Paul Simon song “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” that got me extremely excited for the night ahead.
After Briscoes performance you could feel the energy in the auditorium rise as we all anticipated Noah Kahan. Kahan started his music career in 2017 when he signed with republic Records and started working with Joel Little. He released his first single “Young Blood” on January 27th, 2017, and followed with his debut album “Busyhead” in 2019. Although that album created a good name for Noah Kahan his true fame came from his recent albums debut single “Stick Season.” Kahan released his album entitled “Stick Season” on October 14th, 2022, and received massive success over the album. Since the album’s release Kahan has been on tour since it came out and is now performing around different colleges before he starts his summer tour again. I have been trying to get tickets to one of his performances for months now, but they have all been sold out, due to this I was thrilled when I saw he was coming to my university.
My top three songs he performed throughout the night were “False Confidence,” “Homesick,” and “Orange Juice.” Kahan started his show with the song “False Confidence” off his 2019 album “Busyhead,” This track speaks on getting invested on someone who is distant to you and spending so much time worrying about them that it is not worth it anymore. This song was the perfect opener for the show because it mixed a happy upbeat sounding chorus with more grim lyrics. Another standout song for me was Homesick because this song was easy to relate to in a room full of college students. Homesick talks about missing where you grew up and how even if you did not like it then there are still elements you miss about it. Hearing the whole crowd scream the chorus of this song gave me full body chills and was an amazing experience live. Finally, another standout track for me was “Orange Juice.” This had always been my favorite song from his album “Stick Season,” and I was thrilled to see it live. This song reflects on a loved one of his who got in a fatal drunk driving accident and brought me tears when I heard it live. Honestly, Noah Kahan gave the perfect set list and played every song I wanted to hear despite “Everywhere, Everything” not getting played. Overall, he gave a 10/10 show, and I was thrilled he came to my school and cannot wait to see where he goes throughout his future.
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