Noah Kahan Concert review | Cleveland, OH | Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica | 06.22.23

If one drove through the East Bank of the Flats on Thursday, June 22nd, one may have noticed a large group of people gathered in the grass area near the Cuyahoga River. To satisfy those with curious minds, this writer can confirm that these folks fell into the category of fans of Noah Kahan’s who didn’t want to pay the exorbitant resale ticket prices to the 26-year-old’s sold-out show at Jacobs Pavilion.

While no stranger to the music business, the success of his third album, ‘Stick Season’ (2022) has catapulted Kahan to a new level of fame. He put out his first album ‘Busyhead’ in 2019 with Republic Records. He followed up with new music in the subsequent years with the EP ‘Cape Elizabeth‘ in 2020 and the album ‘I Was / I Am’ in 2021. In the midst of this, Kahan began posting on the social media app TikTok, on which he first teased the title track to his most recent record. Little did he know, the snippet would go viral, and fans begged for the full version. The single was officially released in July of 2022 ahead of the release of the album in October of the same year. The album debuted at 14 on the US Billboard 200, making it Kahan’s first album to chart. It launched Kahan into the spotlight, and the singer-songwriter went from playing in small clubs to main stages at festivals seemingly overnight.

Kahan took the stage in Cleveland with his 4-person backing band and immediately had the audience captivated. He kicked off with “All My Love” off his latest album. While it is typical for a crowd to be loud when an artist takes the stage and during their popular songs, it usually dies down during down at some point. At this show, however, the crowd belted every song lyric to every single tune with the same passion that Kahan exuded from the stage. It’s clear that Kahan’s honest lyrics have resonated with fans and truly left a mark.

While the setlist was heavy on tracks from the new album, the older tunes weren’t neglected! Kahan performed “Carlo’s Song” from the album ‘Busyhead’ and shared the story of the friend he lost and how he continues to honor him through his music. “False Confidence” was met with enthusiasm, so much so that Kahan stepped away from the microphone for the crowd to take over, as they belted out in unison:

“And I wonder why I tear myself down
To be built back up again
Oh I hope somehow, I’ll wake up young again
All that’s left of myself
Holes in my false confidence.”

As if his music and lyric writing wasn’t impressive enough, Kahan also proved his skills on numerous instruments. In the first three songs of the set he switched from mandolin, to acoustic guitar, to electric guitar, and continued to mix it up throughout the night. He even showed off his dancing skills during “New Perspective” when he invited his brother, Simon Kahan on stage. The brothers laughed and did a choreographed jump-dance in the middle, bringing a hint of joy to a song with a somewhat sad theme.

Riding he album’s sucess, just weeks before the Cleveland show, Kahan released the deluxe version titled ‘Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever)’ with 7 additional tracks. Despite the deluxe album being out for less than two weeks before the show, the crowd knew every word to the new songs, “No Complaints” and “Dial Drunk.”

A notable moment came during the song “Orange Juice” when Kahan took out his in-ear and listened to the crowd sing the words he had written. He smiled at the end, thanking the crowd and wiping his watery eyes. The feeling of people connecting to songs that are so deeply passionate must make performances even more powerful for Kahan.

Kahan closed the show with a two-song encore, starting with “Stick Season,” but warning fans it wasn’t the last song and not to leave prematurely. Instead, the show closed with “Mess.” It felt like a tribute to where he was and how he started his career years ago. It truly is the summer of stick season, and Kahan’s fans assured him they’ll be here forever, no matter where he goes.

Kahan brought along Joy Oladukun to open up the show and set the tone for a great evening. The two artists have worked together and released music together, but rather than performing their songs together, Kahan gave Oladokun the spotlight for her 9 song set. Oladoukun’s music was a satisfying blend of folk, rock, and R&B, creating a unique sound that made left me immediately wanting to go home and listen to more. Oladokun had a great stage presence, telling little stories before songs like how no one came to her 8th birthday party before singing “Sunday” or talking about how her edible is kicking in before “The Hard Way.” She closed with “We’re All Gonna Die” from her latest album, ‘Proof of Life’ which features Kahan Noah chose not to make a guest appearance, but likely watched from the wings as his friend captivated the crowd.

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