After a two-year mental health break and a canceled 2022 world tour, Shawn Mendes is back with his fifth album, Shawn, out November 15. In anticipation of its release, he has been performing the full album at small venues across the U.S., entitling this small tour “For Friends and Family Only.” On October 18, I attended his show at Brooklyn Paramount Theater, where he played the album and shared anecdotes about his life and songwriting process.
As an avid Shawn Mendes fan who has followed him since 2017, I was thrilled to hear about these shows. I arrived at the theater with my sister around 5:00 p.m., where we were met with a line wrapping around the entire block. After an hour and a half of waiting, we were let in, and I headed straight to the merchandise line, where I purchased an exclusive Brooklyn Paramount “For Friends and Family Only” hoodie. The entire show was general admission only, with a select few balcony seats filling the theater with 2,000 thrilled fans. At 8:30 p.m., Shawn came out on stage eager to perform for the first time in years.
Since most of the songs Shawn performed had not been released yet, the audience tried singing along to what lyrics they knew. Right at the beginning of the show, Shawn acknowledged the audience’s commitment and expressed his gratitude for performing to a crowd with limited knowledge of the album. This was a new experience for me because the songs were unfamiliar, and the concert was held in a theater instead of Shawn’s usual arena concerts. This relaxed the show, allowing me to hear the lyrics and instruments better to grasp the album’s concept. As his most intimate album yet, this small theater tour was designed to reflect this special and personal work.Â
In addition to the 12 songs on the new album, Shawn played some old hits, including “Stitches,” “In My Blood,” “It’ll be Okay,” and an encore song, “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” The audience sang loudly for these songs, being the only ones they knew, with the exception of the three singles off Shawn, “Why Why Why,” “Isn’t That Enough” and “Nobody Knows.” I was ecstatic to hear and experience these songs being performed live years after their release and made sure to capture every song on my phone.  Â
A stand-out moment from the show was when Shawn introduced his song, “Heart Of Gold,” a personal song about his friend who had overdosed and his regret of not speaking to him more often. During this introduction, Shawn dedicated the song to Liam Payne in light of his passing. The performance was emotional through the song’s musical build-up and descriptive, touching and honest lyrics.Â
Shawn spoke about his two-year break and the pressures he felt from canceling his world tour, relationship breakups, and finding himself through his mental health journey. This new album reflects that, with deep songs about these struggles told through raw lyrics and a folk-like sound. In particular, his song “The Mountain” describes the highs and lows he faced and the media’s portrayal of him during this break. He expressed his appreciation towards his friends and family who stuck with him during this time and were standing all around the theater. In fact, his best friends were standing right behind me, which was surreal to notice mid-concert.Â
Another highlight was when Shawn brought out two of his closest friends, Mike Sabath and Eddie Benjamin, to perform a few songs. Shawn spoke about how they helped him rekindle his love of music, which was a struggle during his break. His friends were also the main collaborators on the album. The three had infectious chemistry and passion, engaging the audience with each song.
This concert was an experience I will never forget, and I cannot wait for these songs to be released on November 15. This is by far my favorite Shawn Mendes album, and I encourage everyone to listen to it next month. Shawn will continue this small tour, “For Friends and Family Only,” in a few more cities, and I eagerly anticipate his eventual album tour.