Tuesday was a weird day for me and I was honestly still shaken as I made my way downtown for the show at The 7th Street Entry. I won’t get into the details because I’m trying not to linger on it for my mental health. Still, I was just a bit on edge and honestly wasn’t even sure a show was what I needed for the evening but I knew it’s what my soul wanted so I sucked it up, gathered my things, took a deep breath, and went.
The always lovely Kayleigh Goldsworthy kicked the night off and instantly won the hearts of everyone in the crowd. I have had the absolute honor of catching Kayleigh live a few times and whether it was her solo or her backing a band, she has always had a way of instantly captivating me, and Tuesday evening was no different. Her first two tracks were flawless. The calm in her voice and the passion that came with every word was exactly what I needed to calm down a bit. Unfortunately, after the first two songs, something happened with Kayleigh’s guitar. With sets being already super short for the night, she wasted no time and shouted behind her “Kevin! I’m using your acoustic!” And, just like that, the night went from a standard (albeit solid) show to a super beautiful and intimate moment I will never forget. Instead of trying to plug the guitar in, Kayleigh grabbed the headliner’s acoustic, sat on the edge of the stage, and invited the rest of the audience to sit on the floor with her. There was no hesitation and, within seconds, the audience was sitting on the floor and being serenaded by Kayleigh. Not only did it showcase her undeniable talent but it also showcased her experience being on stage and her amazing way of rolling with the punches. Even as the mainroom upstairs kicked off with bass that could be heard throughout the more intimate Entry, Kayleigh only paused to laugh about the situation before powering through and finishing her set with a sense of poise, beauty, and personality. I’ve seen Kayleigh multiple times and will surely see her again but Tuesday night’s performance will always be my favorite from her.
Although I had seen pronoun (the second act to grace the stage on Tuesday) back in November of 2018 when they opened for Justin Courtney Pierre (of Motion City Soundtrack), I honestly couldn’t for the life of me remember if I loved them or not but my memory was quickly jogged when they took the stage. I love these guys. Their sound is quirky. Although you could put them into the broad category of indie-pop, there is so much more to this band. Led by Alyse Vellturo (this is actually a solo project but came in the form of a trio on Tuesday), the music of pronoun has so many influences threaded throughout each song that it creates something absolutely infectious. There are moments that are truly boppy and almost commercial at times but other moments that have a little hip-hop wordplay associated with them while the band sticks to a beautiful soundscape worthy of your favorite indie band. I truly wish I had more to say about pronoun’s set on Tuesday but the truth is it was just one of those solid sets that had me so lost in every note that I really didn’t catch onto anything super huge to write about.
Headlining the beautiful show on Tuesday night was Kevin Devine. Kevin is one of those people that is a bit legendary but only if you’re “in the know” and, thankfully, I am in the know. From his work with Brand New to Bad Books to Manchester Orchestra all the way to his Devinyl series and his extensive solo discography, Kevin has been doing this for a very long time and is just getting better with age. Joined on stage by his highly talented band named “The Goddamn Band” (which brought the lovely Kayleigh Goldsworthy back to stage on keys, violin, and vocals), Kevin’s set had me feeling a lot like how I felt during pronoun’s set, just a bit lost but in the best way possible. Being that I have been listening to Kevin’s music in some form or another for nearly two decades, I found a sense of comfort with every word that floated through the air. Watching the effect this music had on the people around me was just the icing on the cake. Everyone was taking it in a different way whether they were just standing there and breathing like I was or singing along to every word with a sense of passion and fury, everyone in the intimate venue was being affected, and witnessing a show like that will never get old to me. I lost track of how many songs that Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band played but that’s okay. They could have played all the way until the morning and it still wouldn’t have been enough for me or many other people in the audience. Hell, he didn’t even have to play– he could have just stood there and talked to us and I think we all would have been frozen and just taking it all in, word by word, with a smile on our faces.
Although my day started off a bit rough and weird and I found it hard to recover on my own, Tuesday night’s show did the trick and I will forever be grateful to everyone who took the stage and helped me get through the weird day.
Line Up:
Venue: 7th Street Entry
Smell-O-Meter: Nothing
Average Age of the Crowd: 33
Crowd Surfers- None
Mosh-ability- 2 out of 10
Sausage-Fest Meter- 4 out of 10
Stage Divers- 0
Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0
Broken Bones- None Noticed
Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing
Fights- None Noticed
Pukers- None Noticed
Idiots Taken Out By Security- None
How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-
Kayleigh Goldsworthy – 4
Pronoun – 1
Kevin Devine – 5
Celebrity Sightings – None
Overall Score- 8.3 out of 10
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