When I heard Dayglow was making his return to Nashville this year at the Ryman Auditorium on Nov. 8, I knew I couldn’t miss it this time around. His October 2021 show looked like a blast, and I knew this performance would only be better. Boy, was that an understatement!
The show opened with an amazing set from Utah singer Ritt Momney (artist Jack Rutter’s play on the name of Utah Senator Mitt Romney). He opened with songs “HEADSTART,” “Sometime” and “Wormwood,” all of which provided me the perfect transition from a boring work day to a hype Tuesday night. Momney then played “Something, in General”—a soft and flowy song from his first album. “Not Around” followed, which he co-wrote with Dayglow. The entire crowd rocked out to the performance’s strong instrumental section. He then asked the crowd to stand and dance to his song “Set the Table.” What followed afterward was his famous TikTok rendition of “Put Your Records On.” His slowed-down cover has over 500 million streams on Spotify and was a crowd favorite. He ended his set with his song “(If) the Book Doesn’t Sell,” which felt like an emotional confession to the audience. The song dives into his history with leaving the Mormon church, and he pushes his audience to find their truths through the song.
During the short break between sets, I befriended two women sitting in front of me, who saw me awkwardly dancing along by myself. They invited me to groove with them once the show resumed, demonstrating just how kind and uplifting Dayglow fans are.
Suddenly, the theater’s curtains opened to reveal a screen of dazzling colors slowly morphing into spinning cubes. While I don’t totally understand the meaning, it definitely gave off the ‘70s vibes Dayglow’s music resonates with. He opened with the song “Radio,” showing off his strong vocals. The accompaniment, which consists of pianist Norrie Swofford, drummer Brady Knippa and guitarist Colin Crawford, also showcased their amazing talent and lively performance skills.
Dayglow played fan favorites, such as “Hotrod” and “Can I Call You Tonight.” Both songs come from his first album, “Fuzzybrain.” “Hotrod” featured intense back-to-back guitar playing between Struble and Crawford, while “Can I Call You Tonight” ended in ear-blaring applause from the audience. Both songs brought fantastic energy to the set and of course, lots of dancing.
Throughout the show, I wondered how Struble didn’t run out of breath, especially during his performance of “Stops Making Sense,” which gave off ‘80s game show vibes. During the song, he repeatedly sprinted across the stage while maintaining high energy from start to finish. It was certainly evident that his love of performing kept him going through the demanding nature of the set.
(Miguel Beristain)
Other notable song performances were “Run the World!!!,” “Medicine,” “Fuzzybrain” and “Turnaround.” I was blown away at Struble’s ability to sing at such a high pitch while maintaining the same fullness of voice. Struble knows how to fill a room with amazing sound, but also laughter as his goofy personality invites the audience to laugh along with him. “Fuzzybrain” was what I like to refer to as the “phone flashlight” part of sets, as the slower song had the audience’s arms and phones swaying to its majestic sounds.
During “Close to You” Struble became emotional thinking about just how far he’s come. After leaving the stage, the backdrop displayed an array of illuminated stars and Struble ran back out to perform his encore song: “Second Nature.” The nearly six-minute song provided an explosive ending to his already impressive set.
Throughout the show, it was evident just how excited Dayglow was to be back performing in Nashville, especially at the Ryman. His excitement mirrored the audience’s joy of getting to listen to his electric music live. I think it’s safe to say that Dayglow is welcome back to Nashville anytime.
