Words & Photos by Anthony Abu-Hanna
There was a storm brewing in Bridgeport, Connecticut on a Tuesday night. Sure, it was 100% humidity and nearly 95º out, but that wasn’t the storm. The storm was the electricity building under the dome of the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater waiting for Noah Kahan to take the stage. It was palpable and visceral. You could feel it in the air. It was an energy I’ve only felt seeing concerts at Madison Square Garden.
This place was about to erupt.
Noah Kahan took the stage to fan favorite Northern Attitude, setting the tone for the night and completely taking control of the room. The moment he sang his first note, all the way to the final note of the night, the venue was awash in a melody of him and the audience – with this absolutely manic crowd, at points, getting so overwhelmingly loud you couldn’t hear him sing – especially on hits like She Calls Me back, All My Love, You’re Gonna Go Far, and Dial Drunk.
The humidity and high heat did not stop a single person in this venue from dancing their hearts away in their seats, in the aisles, and all throughout the concourses. Just like his album’s title “Stick Season: We’re All Be Here Forever,” it was impossible to feel like the evening wasn’t going to go on forever. But, like all concerts, it sadly did.
Noah’s band led the audience into the encore and finally played the most anticipated song of the evening Stick Season. The amphitheater was the loudest it’s ever been, as all 5,500 people belted out every single word to his hit single.
Noah Kahan’s meteoric rise is unlike anything that has happened in music in recent years. A combination of his lyrical prowess and guitar playing, a pandemic, and TikTok took him from playing 2,000 person venues last year to selling out a 25,000 person capacity Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center just four days ago. Bridgeport’s Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater has a maximum capacity of 5,500, the smallest venue of this tour.
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TheWaster.com | Bridgeport
9.7.23
