Noah Kahan
3Arena, Dublin
★★★★☆
It’s safe to say that 27-year-old Noah Kahan wasn’t quite a nobody before TikTok came along. The Strafford, Vermont, musician signed a deal with Republic Records in his late teens and immediately opened for German band Milky Chance on tour, scored a hit with Julia Michaels and released two albums all before 2022, when a song from his third album went viral on the app before it was even shared with the world on any streaming platform. Stick Season changed everything for Kahan, but the down-to-earth folk and pop sensation isn’t allowing himself to lose his charm.
Bounding on to the 3Arena stage on Thursday night, his relatively new but discernibly loyal fan base couldn’t possibly have sounded louder. Instantly whipping out his trademark self-deprecating wit that continues to gain him millions of followers, the singer declares, “I’m Grammy-losing artist Noah Kahan and I’m so happy to be here. I’ve been called the Jewish Ed Sheeran and Jewish Capaldi.”
It’s not hard to see the comparisons: Sheeran gained near-overnight fame with surprise chart-topping single The A-Team – also highlighting societal issues such as addiction with just an acoustic guitar – while Lewis Capaldi became a household name partially through humour and relatability. Kahan’s star quality lies in his music’s ability to make the masses feel seen, and charismatic presence that demands we root for him.
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Opening with All My Love, the deafening reception from the crowd clearly takes Kahan by surprise, which. continues throughout the night. He jokingly apologises mid-song for his team mistakenly labelling Dublin as a UK tour date. “It wasn’t my fault directly, but I still f**ked up,” he laughs.
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“I love this city so much. Dublin, I would die for you,” Kahan says, after New Perspective, She Calls Me Back and Everywhere, Everything get equally decibel-shattering singalongs from the young audience. No Complaints show off his typically infectious chord progressions and accessible choruses, while Your Needs, My Needs delivers a welcome edgy rock riff. He wears his heart on his sleeve on homesickness anthem Maine and standout hit Growing Sideway’ – “a song about lying to your therapist” – before channelling Nashville country scenes on Paul Revere.
New song Forever gets a warm debut, bright phone lights creating an intimate moment the headliner clearly cherishes, before Dublin singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy joins the American act for Northern Attitude. Though Hozier was the original collaborator on the smash single, Kennedy’s appearance leads to near-pandemonium in the venue.
Kahan continues to make his listeners feel at ease in his presence, noting how out of place he felt at the Grammys last weekend, before remarking, “I could not have asked for a better experience tonight.” Fan favourites You’re Gonna Go Far, Orange Juice and Dial Drunk have the whole 3Arena chanting every word before Stick Season ends the night on a high.
Kahan’s latest Dublin show couldn’t have gone any better, for the audience and artist alike. His appeal on TikTok clearly isn’t a fluke – translating to ticket sales and tears from fans around me. Big feelings, overcoming small town barriers and an authentic personality? This story of an affable sonic underdog proves there’s no better formula for success.
