Noah Kahan Serenades the Hollywood Bowl During 2-Night Run
From confiding in the audience about his recent Grammy loss, to his zoloft subscription, Noah Kahan, a singer-songwriter from Strafford, leaves it all of the stage in his two-night sold out run at the iconic Hollywood Bowl. As the sunset in the skies of Los Angeles began to fall, a replacement sky (with a mountain view backdrop to match) appeared right on stage, creating a fully immersive space for the Vermont-native to make himself feel right at home in. Kahan is an expert at creating a world of nostalgia and self-exploration that you can’t help but to cling onto. “Are any of you ordering food? I think it’s hilarious you can order food at this venue.”
“My only goal is to leave you a little worse than you came,” he says with a smile that results in an uproar from the crowd. Noah’s banter with his fans is the perfect concoction of self-deprecating remarks, and soul-altering tidbits about life itself. “I love you, Noah.” a young girl screams at the top of her lungs, and he smiles. “You’ve got me feeling like a manipulative youth pastor,” he echos back in response to the crowd's cries. He’s just a guy that you’re just happy to see ‘make it’.
His ability to remain raw and relatable is a gift in itself, aside from his musical skills. “I won’t be alone for the rest of my life,” the crowd sings in unison. The mutual respect between Kahan and his fanbase to show up for each other is unmatched. “Someday I’m gonna be somebody people want,” he sings as over 17,000 people sing it right back to him.
He speaks of how touring is his dream job, but sometimes he just “wants to be home at his mom’s house with his dogs playing catch,” as a new addition to the stage appears. The stage goes black as stagehands appear to bring out new set pieces, but his authentic nature doesn’t make it feel like a choreographed transition, but rather, just another piece of his soul that he is baring. “This is supposed to be like my mother’s living room. It’s got all of the same paintings she does. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fit all of the generational trauma onto the stage. This is for my children of divorce… let’s hear it for two Christmas’!” You can’t help but smile. And feel something.
Review by: Jenna Houchin, Photos by: Randall Michelson / Live Nation-Hewitt Silva
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