After the cancellation of Noah Kahan’s July 13 show for the “We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour,” both fans and the 27-year-old singer-songwriter were bummed to put it simply. 

Poor communication of approaching severe weather from Alpine Valley Music Theatre staff left distraught fans confused within the muddy fields of East Troy, Wisconsin; most were stranded for hours before exiting the venue.

The postponed date was moved to Sept. 11, a Wednesday, out of all other available days in the week. Despite this — and that traffic was even more unbearable this time — Kahan delivered a sensational two-hour performance to a sold-out show. 

Before his entrance, Kahan’s opener, Jensen McRae, performed 10 songs. Wearing black bedazzled jeans and with a guitar in hand, McRae showcased her vocal range from the first song she sang, “Fever Dream,” until her set was over.

With vocal flips and a deep register intertwining with McRae’s poetically written songs, she established a name for herself on the Alpine Valley stage.

“This is definitely the highlight of my senior year,” McRae said as a joke regarding her 27th birthday, which was a day before the concert.

After an approximate 30-minute break, Kahan took to the stage at 9:16 p.m. as an extended intro of “Dial Drunk” played before him. Dressed in all white, cheering ensued from the 35,000 in attendance.

“Made it back, Alpine,” Kahan said. “I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite shows of the year.”

Energetic performances were evident throughout the following several songs, with fan-favorites like “New Perspective,” “Everywhere, Everything” and “False Confidence.” 

No matter the size of the crowd, Kahan’s stage presence pulsed throughout the stadium, sending shockwaves as far back as the end of the lawn. He zigged and zagged throughout the stage with his fellow bandmates, never leaving a dull moment. 

“I look like Jesus if he made some different choices,” Kahan said as he transitioned into his slower-tempo songs.

Behind him formed an acoustic set for his unreleased song “Pain Is Cold Water.” Warm orange lights glowed on pictures of him as a child as he strummed his guitar, the audience supplying backing vocals despite there not yet being an official studio recording of the song.

With the arrival of his ninth song, “Paul Revere,” Kahan exited the solemn setting to his place at the standing microphone. It remained depressing, but he warned fans they left the first time feeling crushed — and would leave this time feeling worse.

The next several songs became a mixture of upbeat, pounding drums — as featured in “All My Love” — to soul-crushingly shrill guitars with belting from Kahan — as featured in “Your Needs, My Needs.” With the belting arrived Kahan’s signature look: crazy eyes.

As the stage lights dimmed and the band took over for another musical transition, Kahan slyly ventured to a smaller stage within the lawn. There, he acoustically performed two songs, “Growing Sideways” and crowd-selected “Strawberry Wine.”

Upon that stage, the light illuminating his white outfit, Kahan offered comedic relief as an out-of-tune guitar needed replacement. Whether showing off his athletic skills by kicking a beach ball into the crowd or suggesting a Q&A session, Kahan kept fans amused during those wandering minutes.

After playing two tear-jerkers back-to-back, Kahan revived the crowd with “She Calls Me Back” while reuniting with his band on the main stage. But with Kahan, happiness doesn’t last long; immediately after, he continued the never-ending downward spiral of sadness into “Call Your Mom” and “Orange Juice.”

Although it’s the first song on Kahan’s most recent album, “Northern Attitude” was his 20th and final song, and that’s for a good reason. The crowd’s vocals echoed throughout the venue as yellow and green lights flared throughout the performance, resulting in a rain of confetti as the song and concert ended.

As the lights darkened and Kahan left the stage with his band, no one moved a muscle except those racing to the parking lot. Everyone knew he’d return for an encore, and he did after the crowd incessantly cheered.

To everyone’s shock, Kahan began strumming unfamiliar chords, or at least not ones known within his songs. 

“Put a price on emotion/ I’m looking for something to buy,” Kahan sang during his cover of “Fine Line” by Harry Styles.

Followed by “The View Between Villages” and “Stick Season” — a song to make everyone “sweaty” — Kahan left no room for disappointment.

With an unfortunate extended wait of just under two months, Kahan gave his fans his all. He performed 23 songs for a nearly two-hour show, pouring his soul into the clear, cloudless night that never was in July but certainly was in September.

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