In a room full of Sombr audience members, there were a handful of different groups: couples in each other’s arms, teenage girls screaming their hearts out and a few random fans who just wanted to hear some good live music. On Sept. 24, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium — an arena seating over 9,000 — Sombr showed that he has what it takes not just as an artist but as a performer as well. Moving the audience with his intense displays of emotion, the artist was both impressive and relatable. Throughout the night, his songs shifted between melancholy tunes and pop-rock anthems, but the passion for his craft shined through the entire time.
Opener Devon Gabriella, dressed in a white floor-length lace dress, started the night off with a great amount of newbie excitement and passion for music. Looking out into the crowd, you could sense an overwhelming feeling of appreciation for the support she was receiving. While the audience seemed to be mostly unfamiliar with her music, her cover of “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish united the crowd and showed off her vocals.
Anticipating his entrance, a god mic booms over the crowd, welcoming them to a late-night show. After introducing the band (all of whom looked like different versions of Sombr), the mysterious host introduced the one everyone had been waiting for as he emerged through suspenseful smoke. With a leather jacket and infectious energy, Sombr ran onstage singing his opening song “i wish i knew how to quit you.” From the get-go, he had fans engaged, showing the audience that he was not going to lose their attention.
Immediately, it was clear that his vocals were up to par. It is rare that young artists —especially those who have come to fame through a TikTok following — have quality live performance, breath control and stage presence. While Sombr did have a youthful energy to him (which is appropriate because he is 20 years old), his voice was comparable to the recording, showing that he can sing to both his phone screen and an event center. His famously intense grip on his mic gives him a signature pose and elevates his stage presence. You can tell he feels it in his gut.
One of the best parts of Sombr as a performer is his charismatic humor, and that was on full display at the Municipal. The late-night set-up provided ample background for jokes. At the start of the night, the host (his pre-recorded voice) asked him “what is the life of a rockstar like?” Sombr humorously referenced searching for his “invisible waist” and “hitting his head on the doorframe,” signifying his own ability to play into his slender appearance. He also confirmed the rumors that he was 6 feet 7 inches onstage and later kissed and destroyed a cardboard cutout of himself before singing “canal street,” one of his more emotional ballads on his debut album “I Barely Know Her.”
To show his appreciation for his fans, the night was full of audience interaction. With one fan holding a sign with the phrase “I [love] Finn Wolfhard,” his celebrity look-alike, teenage girls were fawning over his heartthrob energy. During “come closer,” he had the whole room jumping. In recent years, artists have made efforts to create a moment in the show that will grant them some virality on social media. From Taylor Swift’s surprise songs to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Nonsense” outros or “Juno” poses to Conan Gray’s wishbone snap, the art of the clip-able moment is at an all-time high. Sombr puts his own spin on this, using the time to bring a lucky audience member onstage to call their ex, with him deciding who was the problem in the relationship. While the premise was great, two different girls went onstage, both (shockingly) unable to get their exes (or their mothers) on the phone, and the night had to move on. Sombr’s natural comedic ability came through to lighten the air, with him asking the girl if he should try to “rizz [her] exes’ mom.”
While Sombr filled the whole night with fun moments, there were a few that stood out above the rest. Most prominently was his speech before and performance of “caroline,” his breakout single. He took time before the song to point out a fan who had been there since the start of his career and unpacked how meaningful the song was to him in his development as an artist. He confidently said that the song was why he was able to be here and that he would “be dead without it.” With such a vulnerable premise, he had the audience fully invested, and the entire arena had their flashlights in the air as he sang his wailing ballad.
After such an emotional moment, Sombr quickly brought the energy right back three songs later with his performance of “undressed.” This personal favorite song of mine also served as the apex of the evening. The whole room belted the song out with him, united for one spectacular moment. It hit its peak during the song’s viral bridge: “I don’t want to learn another scent/I don’t want the children of another man/to have the eyes of the girl I won’t forget.”
At the end of the night Sombr left two songs remaining for the encore. After a quick exit, the stage crew replaced the standard mic with one that resembled a tear drop on the base, allowing it to bounce back after he pulled it to the ground. He sang his biggest hit “back to friends” then ended the night with his newest release “12 to 12,” a synth disco pop tune with a glimmering disco ball shining above his head, reminiscent of his music video.
Sombr’s late night in Nashville was an overall success. Proving that he can hold a crowd of 9,000 seats with his raw vocals and stage presence, he has set himself up for a future of acclaim. The show was in such high demand that he had to change his venue from the Brooklyn Bowl — a performance space a fraction of the size — to the Municipal, showing his increasing popularity. Ending the night, he informed the audience that the show was his biggest to date, and everyone went home with a fond memory of a musician who was just getting started.
