Harlow Bidwell ‘28, Opinion Editor
On Sept. 28, Sombr performed in concert following his debut album I Barely Know Her in Detroit, Michigan. From the opener to the closing song, Sombr proved his talent yet again after recently gaining success on social media from his memorable chart-toppers like “back to friends” and “undressed”.
Shane Boose, also known as Sombr, announced his first headlining tour, The Late Nights and Young Romance Tour, on April 22. The tour began in Dublin, Ireland on May 25, followed by the European leg of the tour. The concert was preceded by the announcement of his debut album I Barely Know Her on Aug. 11 and then released on Aug. 22. The album was praised for its raw emotion, confidence, and the aspect of it being self-written with an enticing melancholic bedroom pop sound, and lyrics filled with yearning and passion. Although Sombr was also heavily criticized on this album, with some calling it uninspired and simple; one review on Album of the Year said, “Not as bad as people were saying but nothing spectacular! There are some really good songs on there and then several just average ones.”
To begin, doors on the U.S. leg of the tour typically open at seven p.m., so expect long lines forming before that. Around an hour to an hour and a half after doors have opened, the opener, Devon Gabriella, a singer with an indie pop focus, begins her set. Songs included are “The Garden”, “Second Nature”, “Older”, “Gone for Good”, and a few others that are unreleased . Gabriella is expected to be a major popstar on the rise after gaining popularity from opening the tour and going viral on social media. After her set, Sombr comes on around 30 minutes after.
In addition, Sombr’s set was designed to look like a late night TV set. He played into the design as he began the show with an interview from a voice backstage asking him questions about the city he is in.
Sombr starts the show with, “I wish I knew how to quit you,” followed by “savior”. The show continues with crowd engagement. He brings fans onto the stage after asking them if they would like to call their ex relationship and see who the problem was.
According to the eight SLHS students who had attended, they enjoyed the concert when Sombr came to Detroit on Sept. 28. Eveylyn Stidham, a sophomore said, “I personally really like Sombr and it was one of the most entertaining concerts I’d ever been to. It’s even good to people who don’t even like him.”
Finally, the show concludes with “back to friends” and “undressed” before Sombr attempts to leave the stage, soon coming back on to sing ¨12 to 12”and say his goodbyes to the city. Sombr is also known to come out into parking lots of the venues he plays in, after his shows, to see the crowd once again, and occasionally perform two more songs for the evening.
Despite polarization between the support and hate that Sombr receives, the tour was a success according to SLHS students who had agreed, or that they would like to see it themselves. Senior Kailyn Tosto said, “Even though he’s getting ripped apart in the media for being a ‘TikTok artist’, I believe he’s working well on returning the favor of his own support to his fans, and that to me is one of the best things an artist can do.” Even with the criticism in the media, Sombr continues to release hits that perform highly on charts for him being new of an artist.
Lyon Life 