Noah Kahan brought the season of the sticks to Tampa, Florida on October 10 to a sold out crowd at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre.
Tampa’s palm trees swaying in the balmy air and turquoise waves rolling gently onto the sandy shore might seem far from Kahan’s native Vermont, but the themes interwoven into his songwriting can be felt deeply by Floridians just the same: the warm hug of your hometown that slowly turns to suffocation; declining mental health coinciding with the shortening of the days; lost love and lost friends. “Stick Season” is more than a weather pattern, it’s a state of mind.
As Kahan took the stage and began his set with the anthemic “Northern Attitude,” the sound of 20,000 people screaming the first chorus was goosebump-worthy. The adoration of the crowd never faltered throughout the set, their combined voices coming close to drowning out Kahan’s at times. Though he questioned if people would know the words to “False Confidence” from his 2019 album, Busyhead, the crowd sang it as loud as ever.
The show happened to fall on World Mental Health Day and to honor the occasion, Tampa got to hear an unreleased and rarely heard song, “Shape of My Shadow.” The entire amphitheater fell silent to take in the story, which Kahan told accompanied only by his guitar.
The set seemed to race by in a blur, the audience along for the ride on a rollercoaster of emotions. Before we knew it, the band began to play the first of three encore songs, “The View Between Villages (Extended),” ushering in a bittersweet end to the evening.
Noah Kahan’s starpower is shining brighter every day as he continues to sell out shows in larger and larger venues scheduled well into 2024. Judging by the devotion of his audience, as well as his consistently engaging songwriting and charming stage presence, it’s safe to assume that fans will have plenty to look forward to in the coming years from New England’s favorite son.
