By Zach Goins
June 14, 2023
Photo: Alex Cason
It may have been a Tuesday night, but that didn’t stop Charlotte from showing out for Noah Kahan at the newly renamed Skyla Credit Union Amphitheater.
The Queen City marked the 11th stop on the indie-folk rocker’s Stick Season Summer Tour. It was also one of the first shows following the release of Kahan’s Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) deluxe album last Friday.
Kahan is a self-proclaimed man of many names, dubbed “the Jewish Ed Sheeran” by some and “Folk Malone” by others. But for a singer who opened the night by calling himself the “Jewish Capaldi”– a play on Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi– Kahan proved himself to be uniquely his own throughout the night. With an 18-song set, he took fans from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, making sure they experienced every emotion along the way
Singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun kicked off the night at 8 p.m. for a sunset session while the sold-out venue filled up. After some brief technical difficulties during her opening song, Oladokun cranked up the volume and restarted “Keeping The Light On.” She kept it simple with hardly any lighting or production elements, allowing her smooth and soulful voice to shine. With hits like “look up,” “jordan” and “sunday,” as well as covers of Harry Styles’ “As It Was” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time),” the Nigerian-American folk singer provided a gentle welcome to the evening.
While Oladokun’s messages of hope and positivity greeted the crowd, Kahan’s fans prefer a different tone. Namely, songs that tackle grief, addiction, depression and loneliness. So, it was only natural for Oladokun to help fans get into the right headspace by closing with a cheery track like “We’re All Gonna Die,” a collaboration with Kahan himself.
After a 40-minute intermission, Kahan and his band took to the stage around 9:20 p.m. and the rollercoaster of emotions began.
Kahan dove into his catalog headfirst starting with one of his biggest hits, “All My Love,” proving early on that there would be no shortage of crowd participation as the masses shouted along to every word. From there, he played a majority of tracks from Stick Season, while still blending in a few throwbacks from earlier albums.
Over the last year, Kahan has shot to superstardom in large part due to his popularity on TikTok. But those videos– and even his records– pale in comparison to just how good he sounds live.
Kahan is known for his heart-wrenching lyrical storytelling, but up close and personal the raw emotion is palpable in every note. From slow, intimate verses that start many of his songs to the epic crescendoing choruses, the rocker put everything he had into each track, which often left him in need of a moment to catch his breath between songs.
Hits like “Orange Juice” and “Carlo’s Song” were particularly moving, the latter written in memory of a close friend who passed away. With Kahan spotlighted centerstage, the sold-out crowd lit the amphitheater with thousands of cell phone lights in tribute.
As sorrowful as some of Kahan’s tracks may be, he made sure to never let the evening feel too somber, cracking jokes between songs. Kahan even occasionally poked fun at himself to lighten the mood, shouting “My parents are divorced! Yeah!” after the lyric “My folks still talk, they speak in these two-word sentences” in “All My Love.”
The funniest moment of the night, albeit not intentionally, came when Kahan found himself in a pinch. After hopping down into the pit between songs, he perched at the edge of the stage and began to pluck the intro of “Northern Attitude.” His right leg became stuck at an awkward angle and he wasn’t able to raise himself back up onto the stage, which left his guitarist scrambling to hold a mic for him as the song began.
He eventually bailed on the mic and guitar to climb back onstage– which left a few lines unsung in the pre-chorus– but the crowd more than made up for it. Kahan is no stranger to mishaps at the edge of the stage and, considering his track record, this one was no big deal.
Other highlights of the night included a stripped-down solo performance of “Growing Sideways,” and Kahan’s three-song encore, featuring “The View Between Villages,” the mega-hit “Stick Season” and “Mess.”
Setlist:
“All My Love”
“Everywhere, Everything”
“She Calls Me Back”
“False Confidence”
“New Perspective”
“No Complaints”
“Growing Sideways”
“Maine”
“Your Needs, My Needs”
“Northern Attitude”
“Dial Drunk”
“Carlo’s Song”
“You’re Gonna Go Far”
“Orange Juice”
“Homesick”
Encore:
“The View Between Villages”
“Stick Season”
“Mess”
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