EAST TROY, Wis. — Noah Kahan didn’t disappoint at his rescheduled Alpine Valley Music Theatre show on Sept. 11, nearly two months after the original concert date.
“We made it happen, Alpine,” Kahan screamed after the first verse of his opening song, “Dial Drunk.” The declaration was met with cheers from the crowd.
On July 13, Kahan posted on Twitter he was about to play the “biggest show of my life” at the East Troy amphitheater. About 35,000 people showed up for the show that was supposed to be Kahan’s biggest to date only for it to be delayed and later postponed due to heavy storms. Concertgoers sheltered in place for just over two hours through downpouring rain, lightning and heavy winds before they were notified the show would be postponed to a later date.
Tired and beaten down by the hellscape that is the Alpine parking lots, fans left disappointed. In the days after, Kahanrescheduled the show for a Wednesday in September.
And for die hard fans like me, it was worth the wait.
The concert, a little over two hours in length, featured songs from Kahan’s first EP, “Cape Elizabeth,” to his breakthrough 2022 album “Stick Season,” plus some unreleased gems.
Even after the horrible shared experience that was July 13, the energy at Alpine was ecstatic. Fans seemed more appreciative of the magic of Kahan’s lyricism, hanging onto almost every word.
“I know I made you feel depressed last time,” Kahan said at one point during the show after apologizing for how July 13 unfolded. “I think I can make you feel worse now.”
When Kahan sang, fans sang along while hanging onto almost every word and elevating some of Kahan’s more deep-cutting lyrics by supplying extra volume and emotion.
Lyrics like “forgive my northern attitude, I was raised out in the cold” from “Northern Attitude,” and “so I took my medication and I poured my trauma out” from “Growing Sideways” rang loud throughout the amphitheater.
Kahan’s acoustic set, which featured his unreleased song “Pain is Cold Water,” “Maine” — a song that many fans, and Kahan himself, hold close to their heart for its soul-wrenching lyrics about longing for what we can no longer have — and “Godlight,” was raw and an intimate moment shared between Kahan and the crowd.
Despite being a seasoned Alpine concertgoer who knows the Alpine parking lot is a bloodbath to get out of, I couldn’t help but cheer along with the rest of the crowd when Kahan hollered, “who’s ready to get stuck in traffic?” toward the end of the night.
After all, who cares about getting stuck in traffic when we got a surprise cover of Harry Styles' “Fine Line” as a part of the encore, a song Kahan has never played before.
Kahan didn’t hold back at any point during the night, delivering a stellar setlist of 24 songs. While it was a very long weeknight for someone who had class at 8 a.m. the next day, Kahan’s music was worth both the late night and two month wait.
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the arts editor. Anna has written in-depth on elections, legislative maps and campus news. She is an intern with WisPolitics and a summer intern with Madison Magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @annakleiber03.
