David Kushner & Chance Peña in Montreal.
Written and shot by Eva Lynch
September 13, 2023
Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
Chance Peña
Chance Peña seemed to have the theater’s hearts from the moment he walked on stage, as the crowd erupted into cheers. The crowd was buzzing for the show, singing along to every pre-show song on the venue’s playlist as they prepared themselves for the evening. Peña had been a surprise addition to many concert-goers who hadn’t known there was an opening act, and a small pleasure of the night was watching the recognition light up people’s faces across the room as he walked out and began to sing.
The Texan songwriter’s songs have been self-described as ‘trail songs,’ entailing clean, almost lullaby-reminiscent melodies with gentle guitar backings which is contrasted by Peña’s deep and rounded voice. He hits the delicate falsettos and low blues-like tones with ease as he carries on through the night. The sound was simple but well-polished and layered. Their laid back set involved him with a single other guitarist, who together worked through his released and unreleased discography, and take a moment to even play a slowed down version of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness," which he prefaced by joking that he had recently played a show in Europe and discovered that no one knew it there.
He played a song which was released a few days after the show, “I Am Not Who I Was,” which once again shows his talent as a heartfelt songwriter and speaks to the journey he’s been on as a musician and his growth over the past few years. Peña described how it’s okay to grow into someone new and the song speaks to “growing into a new version of yourself and entering a new season of life that your loved ones might not recognize.”
Chance Peña first got his start competing on the 9th season of The Voice, where he was thrust into the music industry at the age of 15, and offered the opportunity to feel more connected to his dream of becoming a musician than ever. After leaving the voice, Chance signed with a label and began to work on music for film, television, and other artists. This work even culminated with a gold record for his co-authorship of John Legend’s “Conversations in The Dark.” While he was learning the ins and outs of the industry he continued to write songs, a select few of which eventually became his 2023 EP Lovers to Strangers, which unpack the trials and tribulations of navigating relationships and life in your early twenties.
Both performers have been commended for their story-telling ability, as they play into a similar style and sound of music which aims to be honest, relatable, and hopefully reach people who have been in similar situations to themselves.
David Kushner
David Kushner got his start in his bedroom, where he watched fame fall into his lap as millions of people began to fall in love with his music and storytelling through TikTok where several of his songs blew up, racking up over 14 million loyal listeners on Spotify alone within his first year. His first headline tour brought him to Fairmount Theatre which Kushner sold out in a matter of days, as he absolutely packed the venue, and his monumental rise continues as he was set to be an opener for Lewis Capaldi’s summer tour which has now been rescheduled to a later date. Given Kushner’s rapid rise, many of the songs for the evening were unreleased music to come, such as his song Georgia Rain. He shared that the song is off his upcoming album and deals with the difficulty of going through changes. Despite being the first time the audience had heard the song, he tells the crowd to join in for the chorus and they begin without skipping a beat, having picked up the verses with ease. The crowd hung onto every word to every song of the night, and were ecstatic to see Kushner, a group of fans at the front even gifting him a Quebec Flag they had gotten several of the concert-goers to sign, to commemorate the show.
He tells the audience that he graduated in 2019 and felt like it was all uncertain. He didn’t know what to do and took some time off, but all he did know was that music was one of the things he was passionate about and wanted to pursue. So he took a gap year to go full force into music and wrote his hit which launched his viral career, “Miserable Man”, right after highschool as he moved
to a new state and all his sisters moved out, and used it as a vehicle to help him process a hard time.
Due to the storytelling nature of his lyrics, Kushner shared the meaning and stories behind every song before he launched into them. One of the first songs of the night was his hit “Mr. Forgettable” which he dedicated to his grandfather who has passed away from Alzhiemers, and the song deals with the slow acceptance of his condition and their relationship. His music often tells the stories of overcoming life's challenges and what it means to grow up. His baritone voice has a soulful quality which filled the room with the powerful and assured harmony, as every line was full of feeling and energy.
Kushner seems to just be getting started, so watch-out world. He has plenty more stories to tell.