Just Like The Movies….Sort Of: Nightly Performs Their Debut Record Via Live Stream

For any artist, the release of their debut album should be cause for a celebration.

Whether it be album release shows, pop-up events or a plethora of other release week activities, it should be a memorable time for both the artist and their fans. Unfortunately for Nightly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from celebrating the release of their debut studio album, night, love you, with their fans, in person, like they wanted. To divert, they turned to the live stream format that has been implemented by artists like Wallows, who streamed four pre-recorded sets from The Roxy in LA, and The Maine, in order to give their fans a taste of what the new record would sound/look like in a live format.

The show, which streamed on Veeps, took place at an undisclosed venue in Nashville this past Saturday that saw the band play their new record from start to finish- along with two crowd favorites as the encore.

Lead singer Jonathan Capeci pandered to a number of different cameras around the stage throughout the show while others honed in on Joey Baretta and Nicholas Sainatto on guitar and drums respectively. Capeci, who has always been very camera-friendly, easily switched between using to the cameras to sing directly to the viewer and moving around as he pleased. He sounded as good, if not better, than he does on the album itself, delivering strong vocal performances on “the car” and “so sly” while maintaining his composure on the more emotional tracks like “older” and “i got so much to tell you”. The live versions did not differ much from the studio, with the exception of the instrumental-heavy “turnpike” which saw Baretta really turn up the heat with a slick guitar solo.

Though live streams are a fine substitute for the moment, both fans and artists alike are anxiously awaiting the day live music will be able to resume. Capeci indicated as such, multiple times, during breaks in between songs. “All of us are wishing we could be there right now with you in a room, in a venue,” he said earnestly and despite the circumstances, he encouraged the viewer to sing along from wherever they were watching. A sweet, poignant gesture that will hopefully be possible again, in person, soon.

You can check out the full livestream set list below, and be sure to check out Nightly’s new album night, love you, out now.

Setlist