Ten years after his debut album “Handwritten,” Shawn Mendes returned to the stage with his tour “On the Road Again.” He kicked off the North American leg with a mesmerizing 90-minute concert at TD Garden Sept. 25.
He ended the North American leg of his last tour in Boston, and now he’s picking it back up in the same city. Talk about a full-circle moment.
The opening act was Eddie Benjamin, an Australian singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. As the crowd started to settle in, Benjamin performed a set of songs that had the audience waving their phones’ flashlights in admiration. An hour later, Shawn took the stage.
The crowd went wild. Some of us had been waiting for this moment for six years — and some for a decade. Cheers from the stadium resonated so loudly that I think it could’ve been heard from miles away.
Backed by an incredibly talented live band, Shawn performed a variety of songs across his discography, including popular hits like “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” and “Stitches.” He also performed “Heavy” from his album “Shawn” live for the first time ever, which was a heart-touching surprise.
His set list was an emotional rollercoaster ride, switching between foot-tapping bangers and gut-wrenching ballads.
The stage design transformed to mirror each of his eras, ranging from techno-rock-inspired visuals to warm, minimalistic ones. The lighting, screen graphics and color coordination throughout the show were nothing short of stunning.
Experiencing the crowd singing along with Shawn word for word was surreal. The chorus of fans complemented his voice to perfection. I must say — I’ve never heard such a large group of people sound so on-key before.
Multiple times during the show he prompted the audience to join him by singing a melody and asking us to repeat after him, testing us to see how fast we could clap along — sparking waves of people dancing and singing across the stadium. His effortless ability to involve the crowd was proof of his showmanship.
Not to mention — this is his major comeback after six years, during which he canceled part of a world tour to address mental health issues, took a career break for nearly 2 years and stepped back from the intensity of the limelight.
To see that fans, both new and old, are just as eager to watch him perform is a testament to their loyalty. It felt as if his fame remained frozen in time, waiting for him to claim it upon his return.
Beyond his talent, people are won over by his humility. Multiple times throughout the show he expressed his gratitude for being where he is now in life, openly discussed his struggles with mental health and appreciated the crowd’s impressive ability to keep up with every single song on his set list. Shawn’s down-to-earth personality is what makes him so beloved.
Having been a fan for most of his career, I can confidently say that Shawn’s voice, stage presence and charisma have only aged like fine wine. At one point, a video montage of his career played, and I felt like a proud parent — despite the fact that I’m seven years younger than him.
From waiting for his concert movie to drop on Netflix to watching him perform live felt like an absolute fever dream. To say it was magical would be an understatement.
I grew up learning music for over a decade, and the first artist I was inspired by was Shawn. The first song I learned how to play on the piano was “Treat You Better.” It was as though serendipity had struck me when the first concert I ever got to experience was of the first artist I admired.
Towards the end of the show, the fireworks on stage triggered the smoke alarm. I came across a comment on Instagram that said the concert was so fire that it made the smoke alarms go off. Hilarious as that comment is, I think nothing else could describe the night better.
The evening will be etched on my mind forever. Looking around, I could see how much the concert meant to a lot of people. I’m certain most of them felt as deeply as I did about the show.
I’m grateful that I was lucky enough to score a last-minute ticket. I’ll probably never stop talking about it — this is a story for the ages.