There’s something so special about watching an artist you’ve seen in a smaller, stripped-back setting suddenly take over a venue the size of Rod Laver Arena. The last time Noah Kahan came to Australia, his band didn’t make it, so he took to stage completely alone, with nothing but his acoustic guitar and a microphone. This time around, he brought the full band, the full production and enough energy to well and truly fill the arena with his Great Divide tour.
Opening the night was American singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi, who was a great fit for the evening. His biggest hit, “Scared To Start” got a strong reaction from the crowd, something you could see he was taken aback with. There was a natural crossover between Marcagi’s sound and Kahan’s, making him the perfect person to set the mood before the main event.
As the countdown appeared on the screen, a large house began to be assembled on stage, with the roof lowering from the rafters- this has been a staple of Kahan’s tour so far so it was great to see that it managed to come with him. The on-screen graphics completed the rest of the house visual in a super clever and creative way. Sitting dead-centre meant that I got to witness this exactly as intended, and being able to take in the crowd from further back gave it the full effect.
Kahan kicked things off with “American Cars” and, from the very moment his silhouette appeared at the front door of the on-stage house, it was clear that this would be a very different show to his last Aussie run. The stage was split across three sections, with a main stage, B stage with a runway and a C stage. During the breaks between acts it was a fun challenge to try and spot where Kahan would pop up next.
And then there was the band. They looked like they were having the time of their lives- there was dancing, coordinated movement, massive grins and plenty of running around, and their energy was wildly infectious. Even when Kahan was singing about some pretty heavy stuff, the atmosphere in the arena remained joyful and fun.
The setlist was made entirely of tracks from Stick Season and The Great Divide, with Kahan having plenty of songs between the two albums that have turned him into one of the biggest names in modern folk-pop. ‘Downfall’ was a standout on the B stage, while the C Stage set gave us “Call Your Mum” and “Orbiter”. Of course, the big singles brought some of the biggest singalongs, with the light up bracelets scattered through each section making the entire arena feel included in the show.
One of the loveliest moments came during “The View Between Villages”, when Kahan’s microphone cut out. Rather than letting is distract from the song, the crowd took over and turned a technical hiccup into a genuinely beautiful moment.
What makes Kahan so compelling as an artist is how much of himself he pours into every song, and his live performance takes that up a notch. His facial expressions, fun little skips across the stage and the way he moves alongside his band make it feel like you’re watching him experience the songs right along with you.
Though his 2024 Melbourne show remains one of my favourite live experiences, the Great Divide tour more than made up for the lack of band last time around and delivered a completely different type of concert. His last tour was intimate and raw, but this one was huge, colourful, ridiculously fun and clearly the result of a dedicated team throwing everything they had into making the best possible show they could.
Four sold-out nights at Rod Laver is a pretty wild leap from Kahan’s early days playing 80-cap venues, but after watching him tear through his set with so much joy and personality, it’s not hard to understand how he got there. For an artist whose music can be so sad, this was an incredibly happy night.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Noah continues his Australian tour through October. Head here for all the remaining Australian tour dates: https://www.livenation.com.au/noah-kahan-tickets-adp1095445
