American Authors played at Brighton Music Hall in Boston, but for the Berklee College of Music alums, this was more than just a venue with a horizontal surface to lay their amps down. Certainly, numerous bands pass through these halls and move on to the next location on the tour. However, Brighton Music Hall is where American Authors used to play before they were even American Authors. It’s in these hallowed halls that they played every other week; it’s also where they got their start back when they were known as the Blue Pages. Even though American Authors may claim to be a band based out of New York, their home-away-from-home is Boston.
Boston natives will appreciate the intimacy shared with American Authors, but alternatively, no one appreciates Boston more than lead singer, Zac Barnett. Throughout the night, it was a mix of live music and storytelling, where Barnett revealed his knowledge of Boston’s streets—which confuse even its most veteran residents.
As for the veterans of American Authors, certainly they all play their own instruments, but the set-up on stage seemed to imply they all played drums. There was the standard main drum kit in its usual location in back, but there was also two other drums around the stage. Matt Sanchez is listed as drummer, but during their second song, “Luck,” bassist Dave Rublin participated on a drum from a stand-up position. Even Barnett was going around with his own drum stick. This song was the manifestation of everyone’s dream to be the drummer; American Authors decided to make it happen, if only for one song. The only one not in on the drumming action was lead guitarist, James Shelley.
For what Shelley would lack in drumming opportunity, he would make up for in their next song, “Nothing Better,” where he breaks out the banjo. The song’s distinctly southern twang helps orient Barnett’s fashion choices of red bandana and pseudo-cowboy hat, otherwise foreign objects in Boston. While certain visual styles are indigenous to a specific area, music is universal. Religion in the south is big, but here, the religion is music.
During the band’s performance of “Right Here Right Now,” Barnett takes the plunge into the crowd for the entirety of the song. In doing so, he practices what the song preaches, and comes through on the promise of immediacy in the here and now with his audience.
They even performed some new music. “Home,” which as Barnett proclaimed was not just new, but that the Boston crowd would be the first to hear this material not only live, but ever. Definitely a compliment to Boston concert-goers, but also indicative of the relationship that American Authors has with Boston itself.
They ended the set with their smash hit, the one with over a hundred million views on YouTube: “Best Day of My Life.” This, of course, would not be their final song since they were called back for an encore. Every story and song of the night was about American Authors bringing back memories they had of Boston, so it only seemed right for Boston to return the favor by calling American Authors back to the stage to make just a few more memories. This relationship is not so much just between a band and a geographic location, but with its people. Barnett, on behalf of American Authors, made sure to end the night recognizing this undeniable relationship they have with Boston, saying, “Thank you so much Boston. It’s always so wonderful to come back here. If it wasn’t for this city we wouldn’t be a band right now.”
Set List
- Go Big Or Go Home
- Luck
- Nothing Better
- Right Here Right Now
- Home
- What We Live For
- Pride
- Replaced
- Cover: Shut Up And Dance
- Born To Run
- Pocket Full of Gold
- Believer
- Hit It
- Best Day of My Life
- Encore: No Love
- Encore: Oh, What A Life
