5 years ago I stood at the front of The Tivoli in Brisbane absolutely in awe of Noah Kahan who was supporting Leon Bridges. His debut album “Busyhead” was in the roll out process, and he was finding his stride as a writer and a performer. Walking away from that show you knew that you were never gonna see him like that again, and next time would be a packed headline show where he truly got his flowers. Fast forward to 2024, and we are well and truly in that moment. 

Returning to Australia for a mammoth sold-out tour in support of his highly acclaimed record “Stick Season” where the demand for tickets was unprecedented but truly deserved, he proved why he has reached that status. Night one of his two sold out Sydney shows at Hordern Pavilion was a masterclass in musicianship. From the moment he walked out onto the stage, he captivated the entire crowd with his powerful vocals, smooth harmonies, tight band, and charming in-between song banter. Opening with album tracks “Northern Attitude”, “She Calls Me Back” and “New Perspective”, the immediate singalong from the crowd was impressively loud and rivalled the volume of Gracie Abrams’ crowd in the same venue a week prior. “What the fuck is up Sydney!” Noah exclaimed as he took a moment to look around the packed venue. Thanking everyone for coming, he shouted out some fans who camped out overnight and added “I guess the thing we have in common is we both haven’t showered today”. 

Before he started “Everywhere, Everything” he welcomed a fan called Taylor on stage from the front row who had a sign asking if she could sing it with him. She blew the whole crowd away with her beautiful vocals, and harmonised so seamlessly with him. He then played the big production favourite “Your Needs, My Needs” before stripping everything back to just him and an acoustic guitar for “Growing Sideways” and “Paul Revere”. Welcoming the band back on for the unreleased “Let Her Go” they delivered one of the standout moments of the whole set with their flawless harmonies which felt so warm and comforting. 

The production for the show was just Noah and his band with an LED screen and big lighting rig. But the main focus of the show was on the musicianship. There were no gimmicks, and it just allowed him to sing the majority of the new album and highlight why it’s connected so honestly. The only older songs he performed in the set were “Maine” (from Cape Elizabeth EP), and “False Confidence” (from “Busyhead”), and honestly no one complained. Heading into the final moments of the show he performed “You’re Gonna Go Far”, “Orange Juice” and “Dial Drunk”, before returning for an encore of “The View Between Villages”, “Stick Season” and “Homesick”. 

Noah Kahan is destined to play arenas, and his next tour will definitely see him fulfilling that. He’s an incredible musician and performers who has this natural ability to connect with 5000 people at once and have you in awe for over 100 minutes. An impressive show that 24 days in the year will be a hard one to beat for 2024.