Noah Kahan’s Opening Night at Fenway Park: A Concert Review
by Norah Jerinic-Brodeur
“If they’re down to spend all day in the rain, then I’ll spend all day in the rain (Noah Kahan via Instagram interview); perfectly describes the mindset of all 38,000 New Englanders who were a part of Noah Kahan’s historic concert at Fenway Park on July 7th. This show marked the beginning of Kahan’s tour run of four consecutive sold-out shows at the stadium. To make matters even more dramatic and emotional, it’s a Noah Kahan concert afterall, it poured rain during the entire concert. The weather was consistently rough the entire day and Fenway was clear from the jump that the show would take place rain or shine. I remember thinking to myself, “this is so unfortunate but not unfortunate enough to stop me from going to the show” and wondering if other fans felt the same. Unsurprisingly, Boston, fans, and Kahan/his band absolutely showed up that night.
Fenway Park is a historic and iconic venue located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts. To New Englanders, Fenway represents so much; the culture of Boston, the Red Sox (and we all know how die-hard Red Sox fans are). Fenway has been going strong since April of 1912 but only began hosting concerts in 2003. Some artists that have played Fenway prior to Kahan include Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, and Paul McCartney. This venue has been a staple in Boston as it developed into the city that it is today. The city grew around Fenway, not the other way around.
Kahan has expressed his appreciation to be “back home” in Boston and at Fenway. He is originally from Strafford, Vermont and spent part of his life living in Watertown, Massachusetts. It is evident that Kahan views Fenway Park very similarly to his fellow New Englanders. The main difference being that he, being an indie-folk pop star, is at a monumental point in his career in which he has sold out two shows in 2024 and now four shows in 2026. This accomplishment has made Noah Kahan the first artist to sell out four consecutive nights at Fenway Park. Fenway holds about 38,000 fans at each show which over four days totals to a whopping 152,000 fans. And the crazy part is, I’m sure he could fill many more nights at Fenway with all the fans who lost this particular Ticketmaster battle.
I was lucky enough to see Noah at his very first Fenway run back in July of 2024. T0 say it was an incredible experience would be an understatement. Here I am, two years later, feeling that same luck and appreciation to be seeing him again at Fenway Park. One of the most special parts is that I was able to see the show with my parents and older brother. We are all in very different places in our lives (ie my brother and I living across the country) and have varying music tastes. Evenstill, we were all able to share this experience which we will remember forever, together.
Walking into the stadium I was feeling so eager and excited. We had a couple of hours until the openers, Annabelle Dinda and Gigi Perez, came on so we waited in the obligatory merch line. To be honest with you, I waited in that line for one hour and forty five minutes; long enough to become invested and even make some friends in the process. In my humble opinion, the wait was worth it. In case you too are following The Great Divide tour merch saga, I got the brown tour hoodie and the iconic “I went off my meds at Noah Kahan’s 2026 North American Tour” shirt.
Our seats were in a section unprotected from the rain so we waited inside for a bit before heading outside. It felt like we hadn’t been waiting that long and to my surprise, the sixty second timer started. As my heart raced, the intro to “American Cars” started playing and soon after Noah Kahan came running on to the stage. The stadium went wild. There was not an empty seat in sight. Everyone was up on their feet dancing and singing.
This energy carried on throughout the entirety of the two hour set. Not to be dramatic, but two hours in the pouring rain, singing such emotional and meaningful lyrics with one of my favorite artists of all time healed something inside of me. Noah’s set featured a variety of songs from The Great Divide, all varying in levels of emotion. Additionally, the set included a handful of surprise songs for all his New Englanders. For example, “Northern Attitude” and “Paul Revere” from his prior album Stick Season. Personally, the two songs from that set that stood out to me were “Orbiter” and “All Them Horses”. Although these are two of my favorites from The Great Divide (so I knew I would appreciate them live) there was truly something special about these songs and their place in the set. “Orbiter” was followed by “Maine” and “All Them Horses” came after “Paid Time Off”. Kahan and part of his band transitioned out to the third stage (the furthest from the main stage) where they all shared an intimate moment with both each other and fans. I found “Orbiter” to be particularly emotional, partially because I have always related to its lyrics in a deep way, but also because Noah shared that he wrote this song about not only his mom and wife, but about his fan base and community too. The show wrapped up in an iconic Boston fashion. After the lights went dark, “Sweet Caroline” began to fill the venue. It felt as though we were the only ones in the city, as all 38,000 New Englanders were singing and dancing along in the rain as we all exited the venue.
Noah expresses genuine appreciation for his fans, sharing that, “every time I’m here [Fenway Park] I feel like I’m playing for the people that made it happen for me”. His dialogue among fans, referring to playing shows for them as a "privilege" absolutely matches his actions. Through fan engagement and projects, such as the Busyhead Project, it is evident that Kahan cares deeply for his fanbase and their wellbeing. Sure, he jokes about how depressing his music can be but he has used his challenges and his talents as a musician to help so many people through mental health struggles. Needless to say, I admire and appreciate Noah Kahan on so many levels; who he is as a person, his humor, his music. I believe he deserves this success so much. As much as I have been reflecting and appreciating my experience at his Fenway opening night, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t already looking forward to the next time I get to see him. Thank you Noah Kahan and thank you Fenway Park for the concert experience of a lifetime.
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