Kevin Morby at Royale on 11/19

by Alyssa Vargas-Levine

As I excitedly bopped to the T station in Davis on my way to the Kevin Morby concert, I re-played some of my favorite songs from his discography. Clinging onto each of his dreamy lyrics, I anxiously awaited my stop at Park Street so I could run on over to the Royale. I thought to myself, “How will he make his lyrics come to life? What will the crowd look like?” Soon, all of my questions would be answered. 

Opener Jess Williams swept the crowd off their feet with her bright red dress and soft lyrics. At the end of her set, Katie Crutchfield, also known as Waxahatchee, joined Jess on stage to accompany her in a duet. 

Soon after, Kevin Morby lit up the stage with his embroidered tuxedo and electric energy. His set starts off with his song, “Congratulations” from his album Oh My God. This song got the crowd- old and young- swaying and holding their hands to their hearts. The set was a great mix of songs from all of his albums with crowd favorites being: “Parade”, “No Halo”, “City Music” (which especially got the Bostonians especially hype), and “Harlem River”. 

Kevin was accompanied by an amazing band and the member who most caught my ear was the spunky saxophonist. The saxophone accompanist took his songs to the next level with multiple moments of extreme riffing bliss. Right after the concert, I jotted down the words that came to mind to digest the experience I just had: 

electric

fiery 

boomtastic 

energetic

spiritual 

emotional 

jazzy 

The closing song, “Harlem River” was the perfect closing and a great transition to the next artist, Hamilton Leithauser.