It’s a rare day when you go to a concert and you’re just as excited to see the opener as you are to see the main band, it’s like two shows in one. It was that day for me at the Danforth Music Hall on October 18th where the norwegian pop star Dagny was set to open up for LANY.
Dagny kicked off the night with her infectious pop tunes, stunning vocals, and vibrant stage presence. Whether or not you knew her music didn’t seem to matter; she got the entire crowd warmed up and dancing by the end of her short set. When Dagny belted out the first couple notes of her first song I thought to myself that she had to be lipsyncing; there is no way that someone sounds that good live. Of course I was wrong and her vocals were really just that stunning. There was not a single point throughout her whole set that she seemed off key or out of balance in anyway, even as she danced around the stage her vocals never faltered. She brought an energy to the stage that was impossible not to admire, as if there was nowhere else in the world she would rather be than right there. I do not doubt that she gained more than a few fans after her set that night and that in a year or two I will be watching her headline her own show.
Dagny did a marvelous job in getting the crowd warmed up and after her set it was obvious that the crowd was more than ready for LANY. While standing in the photo pit waiting for the show to start I could hear the whispers of all of the adoring fans behind me. Talking about which songs that wanted to hear and which ones they were going to film and how after a long day of waiting in line they were ready for the best night of their lives. Before the show even started I began to gather the sense of pure dedication that came from the adoring fans in the crowd, the type of dedication I’ve only ever seen a few other bands inspire.
Then the lights dimmed, a voice over began to play, and the crowd lost their minds. One by one the members of the band made their way to the stage, ending with lead singer Paul Klein. They started off their set with “Dumb Stuff” and from there launched into a variety of songs from their debut album and their other hit singles. It was obvious that all of the fans packed in the front of the stage knew every single lyric to every single song and they passionately sang along. But in all honestly it didn’t really matter if you knew the lyrics to the songs, LANY were just too easy to groove along with. Klein is an entertaining front man to say the least, he dances, plays guitar, and hops on piano benches. He’s easy to watch and easy to like. Along with that there is the giant LED screen that is lit up behind the band, projecting bright colours and infatuating images, which you could honestly just stare at the entire show. Towards the end of the show Klein launched into a cover of Harry Styles’ song “Sign of the Times” and it was one of the few rare occasions where the screams of the adoring crowd actually made me wonder if I would ever be able to hear again. He mashed up Styles’ song with their own song “Current Location” and I was really in awe. The way that Klein effortlessly put the two songs together and sang it with his angelic vocals really blew me away.
LANY finished off their set with “Hericane” and found their way off the stage. Encores are a funny thing, the band walks off the stage as if their done but we all know that they haven’t played their biggest hit yet and that they are most definitely coming back for more. We know the show isn’t over and at most shows people cheer half heartedly and wait for the band to come back. But if there is anything I’ve learned from seeing LANY it is that their shows aren’t like most shows. While waiting for the encore the crowd cheered so loud and with so much passion that I swear I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts. They cheered and cheered until LANY found their way back onto the stage. The trio finished off their set with three more songs; “Super Far”, “Parents” and “ILYSB”.
While I walked away from the show I was certain of one thing; LANY are going to make it big. There are a few things that made me realize this; the first being that they inspire a blind and wholesome dedication from their fans, one that doesn’t fade. The second being that they put everything into their live show and will always keep people coming back for more.
