Noah Kahan at Alpine Valley Theatre in Wisconsin 2024

The Show

Back in July, thirty-seven thousand fans gathered in the small town of East Troy Wisconsin at Alpine Valley Theatre to see Noah Kahan perform his biggest show to date. Unfortunately, the weather that evening had other plans. After being delayed over two hours due to severe weather with many fans getting soaked in the rainstorm, the show was ultimately postponed. 

Fast forward to September 11, 2024. The weather was clear albeit a bit chillier and hoards of fans were funneling into Alpine Valley to get their second chance at seeing viral folk music sensation, Noah Kahan with his opening act, Jensen McRae.

Jensen McRae

Hailing from California, singer/songwriter Jensen McRae opened for Kahan. With the perfect blend of storytelling (both in her anecdotes and her lyrics) and powerful vocals, McRae did a wonderful job warming up the crowd. She had multiple quippy lines about the backstories of her songs, once noting that “if you were ever in a one-month situationship and took two years to get over it, you may be entitled to compensation.” The crowd even sang happy birthday to her after Jensen McRae revealed she had turned twenty-seven the day prior. 

Having gone into the evening without prior knowledge of Jensen McRae, I left as a fan and highly recommend catching a show if you can. For updates & to see Jensen McRae on tour, check out her Instagram. 

Noah Kahan

Folk artist Noah Kahan came out on stage to huge fanfare, dressed head-to-toe in white in contrast with his band members in black coveralls. He started his set playing a more recent hit, “Dial Drunk” with nearly everyone in the audience shouting the lyrics alongside him. When the song finished, Kahan apologized profusely for the show being canceled back in July for bad weather. Making a joke about his more melancholy lyrics, he went on to assure fans that if they left depressed last time, he would make sure they left even more depressed tonight. 

The set was action-packed, with Noah Kahan busting out every one of his hits in a truly sing-along performance with fans. Notably, during a more scaled-back portion of the show, Kahan played “Pain Is Cold Water”, a song only released on the Live at Fenway Park album that was put out the month prior. 

Additionally, some classic goofy antics that Noah Kahan is known for occurred. When he moved up to his B stage right in front of those on the lawn, his guitar stopped working and he chose on a whim to hold a Q&A. This not only involved Kahan being gifted a friendship bracelet, but some homemade cookies as well. Then to prove his athleticism and make up for his poor starting pitch at a recent Red Sox game, he decided to kick a beach ball from tossed up to him by the audience. It promptly hit someone in the audience in the face, which he profusely apologized for before trying again and succeeding. 

With special effect elements such as tiny snow-like bubbles and confetti floating over the crowd as Kahan played classics like “Northern Attitude” and “Stick Season”, the production was truly endearing and unforgettable.

Conclusion

All in all, there aren’t enough words to recommend attending a Noah Kahan show if you have the opportunity. His musicality and showmanship in conjunction with his profound, contemplative lyrics are hard to come by. His shows could be described as nothing short of joyful and heartwarming. You cannot help but smile while you’re there. To keep up with the latest news and catch Noah Kahan on tour, check out: www.noahkahan.com.

Check out my post with photos of Noah Kahan at Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee 2023.

Noah Kahan Set List:

A-Stage:

1. Dial Drunk
2. New Perspective
3. Everywhere, Everything
4. False Confidence
5. Forever
6. Pain Is Cold Water
7. Maine
8. Godlight
9. Paul Revere
10. All My Love
11. Your Needs, My Needs
12. The Great Divide (unreleased)
13. You’re Gonna Go Far
14. Homesick

B-Stage:

1. Growing Sideways (acoustic)
2. Strawberry Wine (acoustic)

A-Stage:

1. She Calls Me Back
2. Call Your Mom
3. Orange Juice
4. Northern Attitude

Encore:

• Fine Line (Harry Styles cover)
• The View Between Villages
• Stick Season