By Ahni Brown Harbin, Staff Writer
Who: Vlad Holiday, Declan McKenna
Venue: Roadrunner
When: Wednesday, October 16, 2024
A Fall Performance
It’s the middle of October and despite the chill in the air, the queue to get into Roadrunner for Declan McKenna’s concert wraps around the block. The air is filled with excitement for McKenna’s return to Boston, his last show in town having been at Boston Calling in May of 2023. The 25 year old British singer-songwriter released his third studio album, “What Happened to the Beach?” in February of this year, and his fans are eager to hear his new songs paired with his infectious performance energy.
A Groovy Opening
At 8:00 p.m. sharp Vlad Holiday took the stage, filling the venue with atmospheric distortion and reverb. Holiday joined McKenna fresh off a stint supporting Cage the Elephant on their Neon Pill tour. The rockstar opener is also known for helping with the songwriting for Cage the Elephant’s recent album. This experience shone through in his performance with clear inspiration for his music coming from “Neon Pill.” Holiday has his own album releasing on November 15th as well. His performance was the perfect way to start the evening, and his songs were impossible to not groove and sway along to.
With the crowd warm and ready for an amazing show, the 15 minutes between sets flew by. The anticipation in the air was tangible, and as the lights went down, the crowd went wild. Declan McKenna walked onstage in his signature retro style, picked up his acoustic guitar, and started to play. McKenna opened with the lead single from his new album, “Sympathy”. “Sympathy” is an upbeat song with an infectious energy that immediately got the crowd dancing and singing along. He followed this song with a danceable song from his first album, then rounded out his opening trio with a powerful single from his second album.
A Perfected Show
After another upbeat song from his most recent album, Declan McKenna looked into the audience and asked if they wanted to hear an unreleased song. He laughed as the venue erupted with the sounds of excited fans. McKenna teased this song the night before, when he played it for the first time in New York on the first night of his US and Canada tour. The song hints at a new era for McKenna, and the fans still love what he is doing, as evidenced by the rousing cheers after the final chord.
Declan McKenna played a perfect blend of new songs and fan favorites, rounding out the main set with his first hit song “Brazil” followed by the new ballad “It’s An Act”. For the encore, McKenna returned to the stage at full energy and played two of his most upbeat songs after making sure that the crowd would go crazy as well. McKenna held up his end of the bargain, sprinting back and forth across the stage during his powerful song “British Bombs” to close out the show. A sign of an excellent performance is an energy that you can still feel on the way home. I woke up the morning after the show without a voice and a little sore from dancing, but still with a buzz from the way that Declan McKenna put his all into the performance. That, I suppose, is the mark of an excellent show.
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