X Ambassadors stopped in Norfolk, Virginia on their Townie: North American Tour. A tour aimed at bringing the music from their latest album Townie, released in April of this year, straight to the fans. Bringing artists Rowan Drake and New West with them, and the fans couldn’t have loved it more.
I got to the venue a little later than I wanted and expected that the line would have died down, however, I don’t think the flow of music lovers stopped all night. Even as X Ambassadors was halfway through their set at the end of the night people were still coming in trying to catch what they could of the show.
After arriving, I and the already packed house of fans got to discover the music of Rowan Drake, a 20-year-old musician from Ithica, New York. Who discovered his love of music and song writing after an accident ended his dreams of becoming a snowboarder. A tragic twist in the universe that has left us with a gift we would have otherwise truly missed out on. The soulful, emotional blend of beautiful music created by him and his guitar on the stage of the Norva was not what I would call part of a concert, show, or event. It was an experience. Think Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking out loud” and ‘Perfect.” You can find his EP Dear Ella and Latest single “Youth” on all streaming platforms.
You can also find Rowan Drake at:
Next was another unknown, to me, New West, a Toronto music collective as they call themselves. The group consists of 4 like-minded songwriters and instrumentalists from varying musical backgrounds. They go by the names of Kala Wita, Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West. Which are their stage names and are the names listed under credits on their albums. Hard to say which one goes by which name other than Kala Wita who is the lead singer, keyboardist, and who was gifted by the musical gods with enough stage presence to grab the entire venue’s attention. Their music is indie, Coldplay, and Oasis inspired. As they went from playing songs accentuating the vocal talent Kala, of longing, love, and heartbreak to the upbeat and more fun songs spanning their 7-year music career, the crowd was loving every minute of the show. As for me, I was making a note of the needed addition to my playlist.
Their set consisted of
- Main Character
- Cold Tea
- Next To You
- Homecoming
- Credits
- Sped Up
- IYKYK
- Balenciaga
- Those Eyes
You can find New West at:
WEBSITE | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
Next up were the stars of the night who I had waited years to see X Ambassadors, the pop rock band from Ithica, NY. With members Sam Harris (Vocalist), Casey Harris (keyboardist), Adam Levin (drummer) and Russ Flynn who is a touring member playing guitar and bass. X Ambassadors found international fame and won several awards throughout their career. Their unique style blends alternative, R&B, and jazz among many other genres has found its way into the hearts of many music lovers from all backgrounds as was apparent by the diversity in the packed venue. The entire band were full of energy, and you could feel and see how much they loved performing and feeding off the crowd. None more than Sam Harris being one of the most incredible performers in the business. It made for an unforgettable night.
Their set list consisted of almost the entirety of their new album Townie. It was as well received as their chart-topping singles; we all know and love them for.
- Renegades
- No strings
- Smoke On The Highway
- Boom
- Home
- HEY CHILD
- Adrenaline
- Happy People
- Your Town
- Fallout
- In Your Arms
- Half-Life
- Follow The Sound Of My Voice
- Start A Band
- Unsteady
As a side note, while at the front of the stage waiting to shoot the show, I noticed that a little girl and her mother were sitting just to the side of the stage on the inside portion of the photo pit. I see this often with the family of the bands and such and didn’t think much about it. Until after Rowan Drake played and security for Norva brought a father and his son up. At that point, I was curious and asked security if it was some sort of VIP thing. No, it’s just what Norva has started doing over the last couple of years. To give kids a great experience where they don’t have to be stuck behind everyone taller than them. They are kept safe in the big crowds and their love of music is furthered not just by the parents who bring them but by a venue that acknowledges the importance and value that music plays in the lives of people of all ages. As someone once involved in booking and putting on shows in small venues, children at shows have always brought me joy and I’ve always gone out of my way to make them feel special and included and give them memories they will carry throughout life. My impact was only in small venues, think…dive bars. Lol. This is the first time that I have ever seen any venue of this size go out of its way for the littlest of fans. I can assure you that you made lifelong memories for those children and the smiles on their faces and the joy that it brought their parents will forever be something I remember and thank you for. I will be sending you a personal email to share my thoughts after I send photos of those memories to their parents. I hope to see more of this in the future.
As for the bands I got to share the night with amazing people while enjoying the music that was experienced that night. Go get yourself some tickets to the X Ambassadors Townie; North American Tour date closest to you, now, right now. Life is too short, don’t just exist in it. Live it. Go feed your soul the music it craves.
Find X Ambassador’s remaining tour dates for the Townie: North American tour HERE
You can find X Ambassadors at the following social media sites and on all streaming platforms.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | X.COM | INSTAGRAM
