Kevin Morby and Liam Kazar Light Up Paradiso
07.03.26 - Amsterdam, NL
Kansas native Kevin Morby had a jam packed house at Amsterdam’s famed Paradiso, the stage adorned with sunflowers to compliment the iconic stained glass behind it.
Photo by @julia_bootsgezel
The room was buzzing well before Morby took the stage, thanks to electric support from Liam Kazar, who was playing double duty as both the opening act and guitarist in Morby’s band. He remarked that while he’s been performing in Amsterdam for a decade, it was the first time he was singing his own music. I for one will be first in line when he comes back to do it again.
Morby began the show with “Natural Disaster”, a sprawling, seven-minute introduction to the evening during which I and the friend beside me had matching full body chills.
From the get-go, it was clear we were in for a special show. The crowd was all-in, with the crew in front of us thrashing in excitement at every tune. Later in the night, Morby reflects on the shows he’s played at Paradiso over the years, asking if anyone in the crowd had been at his first show there. (Which was in Klein Zaal, a much smaller room than the one he stood on this breezy Thursday night). The aforementioned dancing crew raised their hands in glee, along with many others among the crowd.
It made sense, as the overwhelming energy in the room was very much one of long-time supporters thrilled to have him back in town.
The first six songs played were off his latest release, Little Wide Open. One highlight for me was “Javelin,” a favorite of mine from the record. Another, “100,000,” was rapturous, and the power behind the performance only continued to grow at its conclusion when Morby exclaimed he was now going to play some classics. “This is A Photograph” began and the crowd roared.
Like he promised, the second half of the show featured tunes from his back catalogue. During “City Music” the almost seven-minute, largely instrumental title track of his 2017 record, he enlisted the help of the audience to sing the song’s repeated lyrics. It was a moment of collective bliss.
The final song of the main set was the tour and album’s namesake, “Little Wide Open.” Morby teased that it would be the last one unless we decided to applaud after the band ‘disappeared behind the magic curtain.’
It was inevitable that the request for more would be deafening, with or without that coy prompt. True to his word, the band reappeared for an encore to play "Beautiful Strangers” and “Dorothy.”
Photo by @julia_bootsgezel
Red faced and buzzing, we all filed out to the tune of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long”, which began blasting as soon as the band exited stage left. Everyone was still dancing.
