Noah Kahan played his first Cardiff show tonight at Blackweir Fields, and it was the perfect opener to the brand new venue. Early in the set, he looked out and told the audience he could see everyone in the back, which got a great reception from the crowd, and his compliments towards the Cardiff crowd kept on coming.
Like a lot of gigs, the energy definitely grew throughout the night, but things properly came to life when Noah walked down the stage to perform surrounded by his audience by walking through one of the sections which fenced off different areas.
Overall it was a 5 star experience and I think most people left feeling extra buzzy and excited which is something you can never underestimate, especially at a Cardiff show where standards are often pretty high, with the city seeing some massive names over the years. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What鈥檚 On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here
After sunset, everyone got involved, which you could tell he appreciated. And having never been to one of gigs before, I鈥檓 not familiar with his usual demeanour up close but judging off what I鈥檇 seen and heard online, his Welsh show definitely seemed to have an effect on him.
He said on more than a couple of occasions that it was 鈥渁mazing to be here鈥, and promised Cardiff he would 鈥渄efinitely be back again soon.鈥 We will hold you to this, Noah.
The singer, originally from Stafford, Vermont, mentioned he had 鈥渓ots of jokes planned,鈥 but seemed to suggest he鈥檇 been so caught up in the atmosphere – which to me felt moving, real, and full of life – that he forgot to use them, although he still saw his loose and light-hearted side come out at different points throughout the night.
At one point, Kahan glanced up at the sky, noticed a few seagulls, and asked: 鈥淎re we near water?鈥 which got a big laugh and added to the sense that nothing with him is too staged, as he noted that he wasn鈥檛 too confident about his geography.
When someone in the crowd mentioned they鈥檇 come from Boston, he also leaned into this, noting: 鈥淲elcome to Cardiff,鈥 and dedicated 鈥淣orthern Attitude鈥 to them.
He also ran through a solid mix of fan favourites like 鈥淗omesick鈥, 鈥淔alse Confidence,鈥 and 鈥淵ou鈥檙e Gonna Go Far.鈥
He saved 鈥淪tick season鈥 until right at the end after coming back for the encore, although there were concerned whispers around that he might give it a miss. I tried to reassure one lovely couple in their late fifties standing beside me that I reckoned he was teasing us, and I thought it was so cute how they were just as invested as the teenagers stood on the other side of them who had been singing and dancing their hearts out at the same time.
This was another thing I loved, which was the massive mix in the age range of his fan base. It felt unusual for a Cardiff gig as often there鈥檚 usually one demographic which massively outweighs another, but not for Noah – and I have a couple of theories about why this is.
Number 1 is the influence of social media and the impact it鈥檚 having on plummeting artists to the top of the charts at the moment.
Many chunks of his songs have gone viral on TikTok in a range of different video styles meaning that it鈥檚 easier for them to reach a wider fan base.
And number 2 is that Noah鈥檚 music also feels a bit like a combination of youthful uncertainty and more complex reflection, so it鈥檚 kind of fitting that it draws in lots of different people, which I am obsessed with, and definitely made the experience more magical seeing people of all ages loving the same thing.
Not long ago, seeing a Coldplay concert live was collectively considered a bucket-list experience and if tonight was any indication, I reckon Noah Kahan may be on his way to earning that same status as his popularity continues to soar.
Supporting Kahan was Stranger Things actor and musician Djo, aka Joe Keery, who brought a huge smile to everyone’s faces with his vibey, relaxed stage presence and of course his famous track “End of Beginning” which I’m now chuffed that I’ve seen live.
The German-born, London-raised busker turned songwriter Sebastian Schub also opened the night with a bang, warming the crowd up perfectly.
Blackweir continues on Wednesday, July 2 with seven-time GRAMMY Award winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette.