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Noah Kahan performs a stripped back and intimate solo performance at the Bowl
After an incredible run in 2023, Noah Kahan is easily one of the biggest artists in the world right now. With plans to headline shows around the globe this year, the Vermont singer-songwriter has become a household name over the past few years. His return to Australia for the We’ll Be Here Forever tour began with two packed out shows at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Thrown a last minute curveball with his full band stuck in the States, Noah pressed on to avoid disappointing his fans and decided to perform a solo acoustic performance in a night we will remember forever.
The support artist for the evening was Dylan Gossett; the Austin born singer-songwriter performing his first ever shows overseas. Kicking off his international debut with the song that launched his career, we hear To Be Free followed closely by Lone Ole Cowboy – noting he has to sing about cowboys if he’s from Texas. Acknowledging the whirlwind adventure he’s been on the past six months, Dylan has gone from covering some of Noah’s songs on YouTube to performing alongside him – with the full circle moment not lost on Gossett for a second. Performing songs such as Flip A Coin and No Better Time – the title track to his latest EP – we heard some unreleased gems and a few crowd favourites. Highlights included a song dedicated to his wife with Beneath Oak Trees, and the full crowd singing along to his biggest hit to date with Coal. Dylan was the perfect support and the artist himself was as excited as we were to finally see Noah Kahan live.
We knew the night was going to be special when the show commenced with Noah announcing from back stage each of the band members arrivals; knowing full well that none of them had arrived in Melbourne. It was that kind of energy that he brought to the stage, as he announced to the crowd, ‘It’s gonna be weird as fuck’ as he performed opening track All My Love. Taking a moment to properly acknowledge the situation before She Calls Me Back, Noah tells us the band (and the lights that usually flash throughout the gig) were all delayed back in the US, and that we can expect to just see his ‘ugly ass’ on stage tonight – as he performed Everywhere, Everything. Making jokes about his new career move, and everything from firing the band to living his best ‘Ed Sheeran’ lifestyle, we are played a fantastic rendition of his track Paul Revere.
Noah has risen in fame due to his down-to-earth nature and his relatable and raw lyrics, with Growing Sideways being a great example – especially as he tells us it’s about starting to be honest in therapy and seeing the positive changes in his life. We hear everything from Passenger to unreleased song Spoil, before he invites the sole member of his band who made it to Melbourne to join him on stage for Northern Attitude and a few other follow up songs. There’s lots of tongue in cheek gags about the situation he finds himself in, and Noah takes more time to thank the crowd for their patience and support – telling us it’s ‘intimate and fun’ and that he will one day return with the full band. As we hear New Perspective, he takes a minute to say he’s going to remember this moment for a really, long time.
You’re Gonna Go Far and Call Your Mom bring us back to earth as we lose ourselves in the music, and the crowd chants louder than at any other show we’ve seen at the Bowl. With the audience singing along to every word of every song, it’s Dial Drunk that stands out as a crowd favourite. Noah says to the audience, ‘If I saw how many people were here, I’d piss myself’ as he plays another unreleased track with Pain is Cold Water. The set closes with hits Maine, Homesick and Young Blood (written when he was 17) before closing out the night with Stick Season and an impromptu and unplanned encore with The View Between Villages – possibly our favourite of the night.
No one knew what to expect from the evening (including Noah himself) but what eventuated was a unique, special and memorable performance from one of the biggest rising stars in music. We look forward to seeing Noah, and hopefully his band, back in Melbourne some day soon, and will cherish the moments that we got to spend with the solo artist himself.