Jonah Kagen @ The Sinclair 2/1
Photography by Bridget Quinn
Review by Bridget Quinn
Harvard Square buzzed with anticipation for the soulful storytelling of Jonah Kagen to fill The Sinclair on Sunday night. This sold-out “Sunflower and Leather” show is to promote his debut album by the same name, which he wrote and produced while living and traveling in an airstream camper for a year.
By 8 p.m., the scene inside was set with a playlist of folk and rock music playing through the speakers. This show had the honor of welcoming a new opening act to the tour, Anna Graves, an upcoming alternative folk artist. She painted pictures of growing older and heartbreak through her original songs. The energy of the crowd erupted when she played her most popular hit, “Hollow Bones”, which became popular on TikTok this summer. Singing the well-known lyrics back to Graves visibly lessened her nerves as she settled into her performance, commanding the stage. Between songs, she did an excellent job of engaging the audience with funny stories and comedy that set the tone for the rest of the night. She ended her set on the song “BlueBird,” which beautifully brought it to a close as the music crescendoed, then faded out.
After the exhilarating opening act, the crowd was more than ready when Kagen hit the stage. He began his set with “Simon” and “The Reaper” from his debut album. These acted as a nice introduction to the album and concert, giving the audience a taste of the new sound. He then ramped up the energy with two of the most popular songs off the debut, “Candy Land” and “You Again”. The voices of the crowd could be heard over the deafening venue speakers, solidifying the positive reviews of this new album.
While the band prepared for the next set of songs, tuning guitars, Kagen talked to the audience like close friends. He detailed a prior fan experience he had after a concert on this tour with an older woman, who said she could “make him forget about all those other younger girls,” which earned a resounding chuckle from the audience, as many probably agree with the woman’s sentiment. “Matches”, another fan favorite, followed the banter and kept the crowd’s energy high. Then he played a very personal song he wrote on the road, “Black Lung,” and explained its significance and its message, which is to not minimize your pain because someone else might have it worse. Staying at this slower pace, he sang “Anvil” as a trio with his band members, allowing their voices to blend masterfully over the guitar strums.
Switching it up, Kagen had his band go off stage, leaving him alone with his acoustic guitar. He played a stripped-back version of “Krissy”, a song about his mother. This allowed for his mesmerizing vocals to grip fans and stand out against the gentle guitar. Before bringing his band back, he asked the audience for the next song in an effort to make every show unique and fit for each crowd. Many shouted out requests for old music they were hoping he would play, but one of his first released songs, “Broken,” won out.
With his band back on stage, he kept the vibes low with “Some Wind,” a song off the EP that acted as a teaser for the new album. Kagen continued the set with his most recognizable song to date, “The Roads.” This was the song I was most excited to hear, as it was one of the first songs of Kagen’s that I felt connected to due to a long solo road trip I took before college. This journey gave me the opportunity to learn about myself and who I was outside of my small town. Hearing the song live was an exhilarating experience; you could hear the emotion pouring out of Kagen as he sang the chorus, and it was clear that the entire room felt it with him. Next, during “Save My Soul,” he made a call and response with the audience, having us scream the lyrics, “Save my soul,” after his “Save me” during the chorus. He ended the main set with a high-energy favorite, “God Needs the Devil.”
For the encore, we finally got the album’s title track, “Sunflowers and Leather.” At first, this felt too slow to be used as a finale since artists tend to leave on a high note, but I soon realized that this was a huge fan favorite. The audience knew and resonated with every word Kagen sang. He finished out the night with a collaboration he did with Sam Barber for the album, “Burn Me”. The ending left fans buzzing for more, with high energy and dancing— a perfect way to end a lovely night of Jonah Kagen commanding The Sinclair.
Overall, Kagen put on an entertaining and enjoyable show for casual and hardcore fans alike. Anna Graves did a wonderful job of raising the crowd’s energy and preparing them for the show to come. Kagen curated a setlist that perfectly balanced new songs with the tried and true oldies.
