Review: Kaleb Cohen @ Red Room- Cafe 939 11/15

Photo Credit: Ryan Simmons

Review by Isabelle Ireland

Kaleb Cohen is a new and quickly rising artist from Connecticut. He has been making music since his early teens, and over the summer, his songs “Boston” and “East Coast Summers” blew up on TikTok. He recently released his debut album, “U-Turn,” and is currently touring the country.

On Nov. 15th, he played in Boston for the first time at the Red Room at Cafe 939 to a sold-out show.

His opener, Maeve Touhey, had an incredible opening list. Even though her songs seemed to be relatively unknown to the crowd, she successfully hyped up the audience,  who were swaying and humming to the beat of the music. She still has vocal maturing to do, but her pitch was held perfectly throughout.

Fans were eager to see Cohen perform, talking loudly about his new album. As his band set up, the crowd was roaring, especially when the house lights went off prematurely.

Cohen started with “She’s a Daydream,” which has to be the best choice of any of his songs to start. It was well known among the crowd, and people were dancing and singing along while fawning over him. During the song, he hit an insanely high note, which was genuinely incredible, and the crowd went silent to listen. It was the perfect pitch and the best way to kick off the night.

As someone who has followed Cohen’s music for years, seeing the audience know every word of each song was so great to witness. The venue was perfect for Cohen’s debut album tour because the room became electric with fans dancing, almost moshing at points, which was only achievable from such an intimate setting.

His next song, “Fall in Love for a Little,” kept the energy high as fans belted out the chorus. He has an innate ability to hit a raspy low voice along with perfectly pitched “oohs,” which proves his incredible talent even early in his career. During this song, it was also clear how much he appreciates his band, thanking them multiple times throughout the night.

He paused to mention his gratitude for his fans who sold out his shows in Boston and New York. He also mentioned he sold out his “comp tickets,” meaning the room was also filled with people he loves. On the same note, he gave away two tickets to the show just hours before via Instagram.

Cohen then played “Our Eyes Met on Friday,” which he said was his first-ever release in 2024, even though he had released two songs before 2020, when he was just beginning high school. Unfortunately, he experienced mic difficulties during the show, but for this song especially, his fans were able to carry the song until his voice came through again. The best part about seeing Cohen perform is his contagious smile and joy. You could tell how elated he was that the crowd knew the words to this year-old song that never gained the recognition it deserved when it was first released.

“I love the way he drinks that water!” shouted a fan from the crowd as Cohen lifted his water bottle higher and made direct eye contact, laughing.

His next song, “Don’t Want to Love You,” impressed me with both his lyricism and execution. Upon first listen, it almost sounded like a cover because of how well it was produced. “Come on!” Cohen shouted as the chorus of the song began, and the fans sang even louder. He then showed off some of the best riffs I’ve heard from such a new artist.

He next introduced his band, whom he has known for years, and covered “Brown Eyed Girl.” Even though the mic cut out multiple times during this song, he was able to keep the crowd’s energy and persevered to the end of the song before taking a seat at the piano.

“…to my younger self, I don’t know. If you have been there, then you know exactly what this is about,” said Cohen before performing an unreleased song, “Little One.” This song was out of left field for Cohen. All of his songs are upbeat and danceable. This song was a complete switch,  bringing many in the crowd to tears with its emotional lyrics, especially the chorus: “little one all alone, little one you found home, in each mistake.” Not only was it beautifully sung, with piano played by Cohen himself, but it gave fans a glimpse into his adolescence.

He then shocked the crowd with another unreleased song, “Bare Bones.” Although it was unknown, the chorus was quickly picked up in the crowd. “Mercy, so sweet, the way she got a hold on me. Eyes closed, but I know, she shows me how to see,” sang Cohen.

Once the song ended, he paused, “Some of you might know it, but if you don’t, maybe sing along and pretend you know the words,” and his band began playing “Kilby Girl” by the Backseat Lovers as he got up and started to dance around. During this song, he surprised the crowd, “Let’s rip this thing!” Cohen shouted as he took out a harmonica and played to the beat of the song perfectly. His fans lost it over this cover as they jumped all over the place.

He next played “Cherry Trees,” “my first ever real recorded song,” said Cohen after interacting with fans and reading their posters out loud. Everyone in the venue pulled out their phones to support an older song. Cohen smiled big on stage singing, “as my voice cracks uncontrollably,” which it ironically never did even once during his set. During the instrumental interlude of the song, he and his band performed a little jig with jumps and spins,  showcasing their stage chemistry, inspired by fans on TikTok who had told him to dance more.
It was an incredible environment. I was surrounded by fans who knew every song and lyric, and it really was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

He next covered “Revival” by Zach Bryan, which amplified the vibes going into “Boston.” Cohen was so excited to play this song, specifically because it was his first time playing it to a crowd of his own fans in the city it is named after. The crowd was rocking and screaming so loud you could barely hear Cohen sing.

“I gotta stop writing songs about summer, it’s like 20 degrees outside,” said Cohen halfway through “Morning Sun.” He pointed out his mom was in the crowd, as was the rest of his family. He also changed the lyrics to “it’s autumn love” to make the song more timely. At the end of this song, he ran off the stage, and the crowd chanted “Kaleb” until he returned to play his final two songs, “U-Turn,” the title track of his debut album, and “East Coast Summers,” his hit single with over 5 million streams on Spotify. Cohen thanked his band again, especially Mike, his guitarist, who helped him produce his first song when he was just 9 years old. “Boston, I love you,” said Cohen as his fans finished the song for him and he left them for the last time.

Or so I thought.

He posted on his Instagram story before the show that he would do a pop-up show outside of the Prudential Center after his official concert. Although it was pouring rain, he still showed up with Mike playing on a saxophone and his drummer on some sort of box drum below him. His friends and family surrounded him, along with fans. It was a peaceful and incredibly intimate experience. He got his sister to sing “Valerie” with him, played a few more of his hits by request from fans, and then closed out the show.

He stayed afterward to take photos and greet fans until they all trickled away. I was able to ask him about how he felt playing “Boston” in Boston for the first time, Cohen said: “Absolutely incredible. Sold-out show, everyone knew the words, and it was unbelievable. We do this thing where we pull the rug out from people and introduce the band, and everyone just kept singing it, and I was like Oh my god, I don’t even know if we should introduce the band! But no, it was absolutely electric, packed to the brim, sold out in an hour and a half, unbelievable.”

Kaleb Cohen has already done a pop-up with the Savannah Bananas outside of Fenway and a Starbucks pop-up in New York City. After seeing the way he interacts with his fans and the joy he exudes while performing, he has even bigger things headed his way, and I cannot wait to see all that he accomplishes.