“He’s heartbroken, but he’s married. Marriage is heartbreak.” This is one person’s experience of Dermot Kennedy’s The Weight of the Woods tour.
Consequently, our perspective shapes our reality. This musing on Kennedy’s concert reminds us that we can experience the same thing but take very different things away from it. Moreover, art has a transformative power.
Kennedy’s artistry moves me every time.
He’s the artist I go see without hesitation every time he puts on a show in Chicago. Each time, these performances look and feel different. He’s not a heartbroken man but a prolific storyteller who understands the soul in ways that are haunting, beautiful, and moving.
The Weight of the Woods is Kennedy’s third studio album, and it’s his most thought-provoking and thematic. It explores grief, mortality, and, most importantly, love. Like most artists, Kennedy tackles the dark and light sides of it in many of his songs.
And Love Radiated in Chicago at the Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island. It was a show dedicated to Kennedy’s love of his craft, his fans’ love for his music, and his admiration and appreciation for his life. You often see the joy in Kennedy’s face as his fans sang along.
You witness an artist grateful for his life and the honor and happiness he feels knowing fans who come from far away to support and sing with him.
As someone who has been to many of his performances now, I have interacted with the fans quite often, and their enthusiasm and devotion always echo from them upon initial conversations. They know there is something special within Kennedy.
His rarity comes across in his love and passion for storytelling. He’s chasing his artistry, and whatever comes with that.
The tour focuses mostly on songs from The Weight of the Woods, but includes plenty of his classic and popular songs. “Power Over Me” remains a crowd pleaser. You automatically feel the energy shift and enthusiasm when that one starts. “Turnstile” is becoming a new version of this with how much spirit people put into it.
“Better Days,” “All My Friends,” “After Rain,” and “Outnumbered” are other usual Kennedy songs that elicit the most reactions during his performances. “Endless” is a surprise song that many fans have seemingly gravitated to as a heartbreak anthem.
Listening to the lyrics of “Endless,” it’s easy to see why a crowd of souls connects to this mesmerizing song about pain and losing someone. Loss is the most universal feeling, and everyone felt it at Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island.
Everyone who listens finds a way to relate it to their own pain and joy.
Fans of Kennedy can easily see all the effort he puts into his shows, from song choices to visuals, lighting, and the band. The Weight of the Woods tour has his best visuals, as they really elevate the concert into a fully developed and cohesive show and performance.
“Funeral” closes The Weight of the Woods tour. It was the first single released from the album, and it perfectly captures hope when things seem the bleakest. That’s the ideal way to end the concert; it leaves the audience with an endorphin boost and optimism.
This concert is a funeral for heartache because Dermot Kennedy and his music remind us that the pain is part of the journey. Embrace it, battle it, and then dance the night away.
The Weight of the Woods is available to buy wherever music is sold.
He continues his tour in North America through the rest of the fall. Check Live Nation for more dates.
