Tour: gg bb xx tour
Acts: LANY, keshi, and Alana Springsteen
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Venue: Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Concert Date: Friday, October 22
Paul Jason Klein’s voice sounds just as good — no, it sounds better — than it does on the records themselves. It’s also worth noting that this concert came after he had to cancel a couple of shows due to vocal strain (and he still sounded that good). His energy onstage is unmatched. He was running around the stage and never missed a beat. The whole crowd felt so alive, and I know that is in large part due to Klein’s contagious spirit.
That opening song, “get away,” has to be one of the smartest song selections to kick off a concert I’ve heard in a long time. It perfectly encapsulates LANY’s energy, and it’s also the opening track of their latest album, gg bb xx.
LANY manages to blend their exciting hooks with reflective and personal lyrics that are disguised as fun bops. One song that doesn’t necessarily fit within the parameters of a concert banger but exceeded my expectations of a live performance, despite my own love for the track, is “cowboy in la.” The crowd went wild when we heard the first notes, and everyone’s voices filled the air as they all sang along. Seeing as we were in Georgia that night, after the first verse, Klein made the wise decision to alter the lyrics from “cowboy in LA” to “cowboy in GA,” much to the audience’s delight.
This song produced a few memorable moments, including the line, “Oklahoma made a man out of me,” which he followed up by shouting, “but I still paint my nails, so f*** you!” This was a funny joke, but it also made a statement and shows how Klein refuses to conform to gender expectations and breaks free from the norms society places on us. I love how secure he is with himself, and that mentality really rubs off on others. You go, Paul!
I’ve been to many concerts, and, of course, we all have our favorite songs that we know every word of and sing along to every lyric. But this crowd knew every song by the very first note! There were cheers and screams as soon as the first guitar note or synthesized beat was heard, and it was really quite impressive.
The stage design is relatively simple; Paul sings in front of a long, horizontal LED screen with the band on a platform above him, also in front of another long, horizontal LED screen. The onscreen graphics tied in some really exciting designs. Some of my favorite graphics were the more simple ones; solid colored backgrounds with the lyrics. It’s not like anybody needed the lyrics to sing along, but it made for a really unique visual experience. The various images and videos were perfectly in synch with the songs being played and combined for a
Coming off of the last year we’ve had, LANY blessed us with TWO albums — mama’s boy and gg bb xx — so their setlist was very reliant on those projects’ songs. Don’t think the concert doesn’t feature their earlier hits, though, because those moments were highlights as well.
A moment of blissful chaos ensued when Klein rain out into the crowd and got up close and personal with fans. Phones went up in the air and everyone was flashing pictures as he zoomed by different sections.
Things started to feel especially spiritual when we dipped into the honest verses of “i still talk to jesus.” The energy throughout the audience just felt special. It’s one of those songs you just have to swing your arms to, and you don’t even feel stupid doing it.
It’s no secret by now that LANY are a great band. What made this concert really next level was Paul Jason Klein’s interaction with the audience. For those couple of hours, he felt like your best friend. Talking to the audience not as a world famous megastar, but as a musician trying to deliver the best possible show to his crowd.
Coming back out for a much deserved encore, one of the band’s earliest but biggest hits “ILSYB” delighted everybody in attendance.
One especially funny moment from the night, for me, was when I was on the way to the parking lot at the end of the night basking in the great live music I had just witnessed. A group of the concert security team were gathered to guard one of the exits, and I overheard one of them say, “Law-Knee, LANY, however you say their name, I’m putting them on my Spotify. I’ve never heard of them, but they were good!”
Earlier on in the day before the show, Paul posted a story on his Instagram with a picture of his view from the stage that said, “LET’S TOUCH HEAVEN TONIGHT.” After what honestly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime show, he went back and revised the post to say, “WE DID.”
Make sure to check out LANY’s new album, gg bb xx (and the newly-released deluxe edition), and catch the band out on their gg bb xx tour!
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