On Thursday night, July 18, Noah Kahan gave a crowd of over 37,000 fans at Fenway Park the performance of a lifetime full of laughter, tears, and cheers. Arguably the city’s hottest ticket of the year, Kahan’s two sold-out nights at the ‘ol ballpark will surely be remembered as one of the greatest nights in Boston’s storied live music history.
Vermont native and previous Massachusetts resident, Kahan has been climbing the charts since the release of his third album Stick Season (2022), and its accompanying deluxe record Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever) (2023). The album’s title track and “Dial Drunk,” along with several collaborations with artists such as Post Malone, Zack Bryan, Gracie Abrams, Lizzy McAlpine, Sam Fender, and Brandi Carlile, have established Kahan as THE artist of the moment. At Fenway Park, he gave his fellow Bostonians a night to remember… forever.
Kahan has been on tour for two straight years, performing sold-out shows at famous venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater and Madison Square Garden. In 2023, he drew a crowd that rivaled Chappell Roan’s to Boston Calling. “Last year I played MGM Fenway and I said in ten years I’ll be at Fenway Park,” Kahan told the Fenway crowd. “It’s been 400 days since then.” To call last night’s performance a full-circle moment would be an understatement.
The Fenway faithful energy was electric from the moment Kahan stepped onstage. Wearing a monogrammed Red Sox jersey, clean white pants, and braids in his hair, Kahan immediately broke out into a wide grin as he looked out at his sold-out crowd. “I’d die for you, Boston,” he sang during his opening song, “Dial Drunk.”
Kahan remained close to his microphone while he sang, however, he took advantage of every instrumental break to continue the banter, run to his bandmates, and greet fans at the edge of the stage. “If I had enough words I’d tell you what this means to me, but I’m just gonna play my sad fucking depressing songs,” Kahan told the crowd before jumping into, “an anthem for wishing people the worst… You guys are so positive, but it’s pissing me off. I want you guys to leave here feeling a little bit worse than you came in.” The crowd roared in laughter and excitement as Kahan descended into “New Perspective.”
Kahan performed “Everywhere, Everything” next, with the first surprise guest appearance of the evening, singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams. Light-up bracelets blared blue for the first time of the evening and fans cheered wildly as Abrams walked onto the stage wearing a Red Sox cap and a smile. Kahan shouted, “Gracie Abrams, everyone!” Without missing a beat, Abrams shouted back, “Noah Kahan!” The 2023 Grammy’s Best New Artist co-nominees duetted the second verse and chorus before Abrams hugged Kahan and exited the stage.
“Boston, I’m worried this might be the best night of my life, it’s all downhill from here,” Kahan admitted. Looking out at the magical landscape in front of him, he added, “If I see one of you looking at that sunset and not me, I’m gonna freak out.” The crowd howled in laughter yet again, as Kahan continued in earnest, “I can see every person in this stadium right now and I love you guys for coming out here. I cannot tell you what it means to see that Fenway Park sign and know you’re all here for me… now I’ll stop being a f*cking baby.”
Some songs later, it was time for the first set change of the evening, not to be confused by the stunning sunset. Kahan explained to the crowd that the new set was a recreation of his mom’s living room. “We couldn’t fit all the generational trauma on one stage… sorry, Mom.” Both his parents were in the audience, he added. Photos of Kahan as an infant were displayed behind him and his band as they sat down to enter into an acoustic session, wherein Kahan performed “Maine” and “Godlight.” Regarding the latter, Kahan told the audience, “I’ve tried to be braver this year and play the songs that I love.”
Once he and his band were ready to continue, Kahan told the crowd, “This song is for you, Boston,” and descended into “Paul Revere.”
Perhaps the most joyous performance of the night came next, with “All My Love.” During the final chorus, Kahan screamed, “Boston, you got all my love.” Fans do-si-doed on the turf and jumped around in the stands. In a sudden change of mood — Kahan’s signature sense of humor — he told the crowd, “This song is about Zoloft.” With that came an emotional performance of “Your Needs, My Needs.” The entirety of Fenway Park joined Kahan to scream the lyrics, “Subtle change, shorter days, dead-eyed, dead weight, your mind, your dreams, your needs, my needs.”
Next, Kahan played a song he had been teasing on TikTok for some weeks, “The Great Divide.” Many fans had already memorized the lyrics despite it being unreleased. Afterward, Kahan paused yet again to take it all in. “Oh my god, there’s so many of you, I’m gonna piss myself. Turn the lights on.” After a moment, he continued, “When you learn you can be your own best friend, the whole world opens up. This song is about doing things by yourself and taking risks.” Kahan then gave another emotional performance with “You’re Gonna Go Far.”
What came next was the most anticipated performance of the evening. “This next song is for you, and you alone.” With that, fans knew exactly what was coming. Kahan stared at the crowd wide-eyed and grinning as fans shouted back at him, “I’m mean because I grew up in New England.” During the bridge, the music stopped after Kahan sang “I’m home…” Because, truly, he was home. “…Sick.” The lights and music came alive simultaneously as fans held each other and danced to the instrumental break.
After a brief blackout, Kahan reappeared quite literally on top of the stadium — on the Green Monster B stage. Fans diverted their gaze to meet his new position, wide-eyed and jaws opened. Kahan chuckled nervously, “It’s so scary up here, there’s no guard rail… if I do fall, make sure to get a slo-mo version of it, it will for sure go viral.” Kahan performed “Growing Sideways” acoustically atop Fenway Park. “It’s nights like these that remind me I’m doing something right,” he reflected.
Moments later, he invited his second surprise guest onto the stage: The Lumineers. The crowd shrieked and screeched as Kahan and his guests descended into a performance of “If We Were Vampires.” Afterward, Kahan returned to the main stage to perform “She Calls Me Back” and “No Complaints,” making sure to change the lyrics of the latter appropriately: “Got a paper and pen, and two shows at Fenway.”
Next, Kahan gave a performance of “Orange Juice” that broke him and the crowd. He stared off into the stands, speechless and teary-eyed, as fans sang the final chorus back to him. “Oh, boy. Thank you.” The crowd chanted his name as Kahan shed his last few tears. Next came “Northern Attitude,” another New England special.
As his first encore, Kahan performed “The View Between Villages.” He told the audience, “There’s no one I’d like to thank more than New England… I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me… wearing flannel and shit. Now, who wants to get f*cking sticky? I love you guys.” With that, The Lumineers, Gracie Abrams, and crew joined Kahan onstage for “Stick Season.” Leaf-shaped confetti shot out and covered fans on the turf, and fireworks exploded as the concert came to a close. Fenway’s unofficial anthem “Sweet Caroline” flooded the speakers as fans exited the stadium, singing along and not ready to go home.
After closing out one of two Fenway Park performances, Kahan posted a video on Instagram Stories telling his followers: “You know when it’s your birthday party and you’re having so much fun and it’s the middle of it still but you look at the clock and you’re like, there’s only two more hours, and you just don’t want it to end? That was the best night of my f*cking life, thank you so much. That was the most fun I’ve ever had anywhere doing anything. I love you Boston, I love you New England, and we’re gonna do it again tomorrow.”
Although Kahan may feel as though these two shows are his ultimate peak, fans are well aware of his potential and are undeniably psyched to see what comes next for the 27-year-old musician. It is safe to say Boston will have Kahan for as long as he’ll have us and are proud to have witnessed one of many “I made it” moments.
