As a self-proclaimed concert junkie, when I heard Noah Kahan was coming to Florida State University’s (FSU) own Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, I ran straight to Ticketmaster. Contrary to my past luck when braving Ticketmaster, my friends and I managed to snag tickets in the very top row of the stadium. As someone who typically finds themself in the pit at concerts, taking on the nosebleeds had me slightly nervous.
I’m happy to report that now I am the nosebleed section’s biggest fan. Aside from not having to wait in line for hours before the concert, being far back also gives you a view of the intricate lighting with the bonus of being able to get food and water throughout the concert. I definitely took advantage of this opportunity and watched the golden lights present throughout Kahan’s show with a snack in hand. Although the people in the pit undoubtedly had a better view of Kahan, I doubt any of them had nachos.
Before Kahan took the stage, the concert’s opener, SUSTO, came out to show off some of their indie music. The band’s music was almost a combination of Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan. Towards the end of their set, the band played a cover of Lana Del Rey’s song “Video Games,” giving the song an interesting twang.
On Oct. 12, Kahan took the stage and shocked me and the entire arena with his outstanding live vocals. Kahan used guitar riffs and ever-so-slightly altered his voice to give his performances a unique feeling. Kahan added gorgeous vocal runs to the end of almost every song he played, making them different than the original recording.
When Kahan played his recently released song “Your Needs, My Needs,” he added a guitar riff after the ending chorus. This upbeat and fun twist to the song kept me on my toes and got me onto my feet, dancing to a more alternative version of the song.
When playing the hit song “Growing Sideways,” Kahan was alone on stage with his guitar. Finishing up the song, Kahan stripped back the instrumentals and only strummed his guitar every couple of lyrics. This paired with the golden lighting created such a unique moment where I could have sworn Kahan was standing right in front of me.
Towards the middle of his concert, Kahan offered the audience the opportunity to pick the song they wanted to hear next. Kahan threw out options such as “Paul Revere” and “Mess” for the audience to pick between. After carefully listening to the arena’s screams and heavily debating what song to play, he decided on “Paul Revere.” As one of the many people screaming for this song from the very back of the arena, this made my night.
Aside from the music itself, Kahan put on quite a show for Tallahassee. Kahan was his hilarious self throughout the concert, finding time to continuously crack jokes between and during songs. Kahan joked about playing Club Penguin as a kid and warned the audience about the game’s gateway to future life problems. As a Club Penguin girl myself, I found this joke particularly funny and genuinely laughed out loud during the concert.
Kahan also joked about Floridians being “too happy” and that he was here to bring down the vibes. In Kahan’s song “You’re Gonna Go Far,” he sang his lyrics, “I got tired of the frat boys with the brights on” particularly loudly. Kahan’s emphasis on this lyric that is perfectly tailored to FSU was, in my opinion, the funniest moment of the night.
Overall, Kahan’s performance and vocals were immensely impressive and left me wishing I had an ounce of his musical talent. Kahan’s vocals sounded even better live than they do from my phone. Based on how amazing Kahan sounds from my phone, I wasn’t sure that was possible. Kahan’s concert was truly unique and an experience that will be living at the forefront of my mind for a while to come.
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