LIVE REVIEW: Nightly’s Sold Out Atlanta Show

I was given the opportunity to interview the alt-pop band Nightly which consists of cousins Jonathan and Joey. The duo has been known for their pop-synth sound and unique guitar riffs, that when combined create a sound of their own. The band, based out of Nashville, was able to do something I personally have never seen. They sold out Eddie’s Attic and created a general admissions floor full of people surrounding the stage in a venue that’s notoriously known for its intimate bar feeling and seating.

The band is currently on their first headlining tour in which their opener is their friend and fan favorite, Phangs. Nightly can be recognized for going on tour last year with NF, but this tour and sold out Atlanta show are both proof that their fans are a force to be reckoned with.

Phangs was an ideal opener for a number of reasons. He’s personable and has his own way of connecting with the crowd, and if you didn’t know who he was before the show, you are more than likely a fan now. I saw him when he opened for R.LUM.R , that being said I can say that in the year since I saw him his fan base has grown. I met one of fan that showed her support from her shirt to her customized “Phangs” necklace, and that wasn’t something I’d seen a year ago.That being said throughout the tour I can already see how much more support he’ll amass.

Nightly came out and immediately took the room to a euphoric level of excitement and with the start of the first song , “No Call, No Reply”, the crowd, myself included, could tell this was going to be a show worth remembering. The promotion of “No Call, No Reply” was insanely creative, and it paid off because so many of the audience members already knew the words to the song that had just come out that same day.

As the concert continued the energy and buzz never waned, but heightened. When fan favorites like “I Miss You Like Hell” and “Phantom” were played it was magical. Every moment of those songs was filled with the eager voices of the crowd joining in with Jonathan’s and dancing in the light of the amazing visuals on stage.

Nightly created a space where the crowd could freely dance, sing, meet new people, and have a great time in one place. The band made sure that the intimate feel of the show wasn’t lost at any moment. Following the performance of “Talk To Me”, Nightly humbly thanked everyone from Phangs, to Eddie’s Attic, to the guy that ran merch, to their tour manager, and one of the fans near me said “wow they’re genuine people too”, and I couldn’t agree more.

“Honest”, the title song of their first EP, was definitely a crowd favorite and it was everything everyone needed to maintain their energy, and by following up with another popular hit song “Who Am I To You” had to the room going even more insane than before.

Typically a setlist is methodical, and obviously catering to the fans and audiences alike. But the band played “Younger” because a group of fans came to the venue hours prior to the show requested it. Now this group of fans, in particular, are special because I had seen them earlier in the day when I went to interview the band. Each of the girls had Nightly merch on and this wasn’t their first time seeing their fave band, but I can tell you that after “Younger” was performed from them right in front of the stage this was a performance of a lifetime for them.

Prior to playing “No Vacancy”, an emotional song for the band and one of the first songs they released, Jonathan thanked the fans, because they have been the ones to spread the word about them as a band, and expressed how without them they couldn’t be where they are now. This honest recognition of how fan support has propelled them to where they are is just another reason why it’s easy to see how and they’ve garnered so much support beyond the music.

Before the last song of the night Jonathan said: “I’ve never said this before, but this Atlanta show has to be my favorite show to date that we’ve played, and we will come back as often as the fans will let us.” They then proceeded to have a phenomenal finish with ” XO”, a fan favorite that has garnered over eight million streams on Spotify alone.

I can genuinely say that the entire concert was filled with waves of emotions, personalities, and voices of the patrons- but the one thing they all have in common is that Nightly changed their night and maybe their lives. Some of those in the audience went because their friend told them about it. Some are dedicated fans that have known about the show since the tour was announced. Everyone left Eddie’s Attic Friday night with not just a sense of familiarity with the band, but a healthy dose of adrenaline and pure bliss.

Check out my interview with Nightly here!

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Photographer: Angel Escobar