Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX — July 30, 2026

It’s no surprise why a ticket to Noah Kahan’s “The Great Divide” tour has been one of the most coveted objects since the album’s release in April. Coming off the breakout success of his album Stick Season, Kahan returns to the stage with a stadium tour and brings a fresh set of songs and an epic tour set design. He opened his show at Global Life Field in Arlington, TX with back-to-back heavy hitters from his newest album—“American Cars” and “Doors”—to get the crowd immediately hyped on their feet, and then delivered an old faithful, “Call Your Mom,” from the Stick Season days. Finishing the first segment of his set with two other infectious new tracks, “Deny Deny Deny” and “Staying Still,” he then journeyed into the crowd to the B-stage and played a few songs more intimately amongst the fans.

Afterwards, as a precursor to his buoyant “She Calls Me Back,” (a romantic standout from Stick Season), which he performed with his opener, Gigi Perez, he accepted a “call” on his set payphone from “Obama,” and thanked him for including his song “Doors” on his summer playlist. This entire call felt emblematic of the tour as a whole: the tongue-and-cheek aspect that permeates all of Kahan’s persona and commentary—making jokes about heavy subjects to make them feel bearable; the gratitude that he consistently expresses to the audience for their love and support; the theatricality of the motion that is felt throughout the entirety of the set design, from the shape-shifting house to the car that he performs part of “Dial Drunk” inside of; and the acknowledgement that life is hard and depression is real, shown in his asking if “Obama and Michelle” are “okay,” since “Doors” is “not a happy song” (and noting that the country is going through a rough time and missing Obama).

After a few more upbeat-yet-depressing hits, including “Dashboard” and “Dial Drunk,” he climbed the roof of the stage house and performed a somber favorite off of The Great Divide— “Willing and Able,” which laments the difficulties of strained sibling relationships. Predictably, this was met with a fervent response from the crowd, as the subject matter hit home for so many people. After “Porch Light,” he ventured even further into the crowd to the C-stage, and performed some songs beneath a solo spotlight, surrounded by the flickering “lightning bugs” that the crowd’s venue-issued light-up bracelets created. Most notably, he made a tour debut of “Come Over”—a continuation of his tradition of playing a surprise song each night after tweeting “[Insert song name] tonight, queen?”

Dallas is famously the city where Kahan had to cancel a show years prior due to lack of interest—something he always mentions every time he plays there now. He consistently expresses how grateful he is to his fans for changing his life, and the staggering difference between a cancelled show to a sold out stadium tour feels like the perfect illustration of his growth. He’s such a special artist with a unique ability to make everyone feel connected, even within their loneliness. As the crowd dances around happily in their cowboy boots and denim to the depressing lyrics of his encore closer, “Stick Season,” we can be reminded that even if we’re sad, we can at least all be sad together.

Words & Photography: Marquel Patton