The advantage of seeing a one-hit wonder in concert is that you can be confident you’ll enjoy at least one of their songs. The rest is a gamble.
If you aren’t familiar with the name David Kushner, you may be more familiar with his viral song “Daylight,” which currently has more than 1.2 billion streams on Spotify and 2.1 million posts on TikTok.
With this song being my first and only impression of Kushner, I was a bit nervous to attend the concert. While his vocals are impressive, his cursive singing style has never been my personal favorite.
Nevertheless, I came into his “Dichotomy Tour” with an open mind.
When I arrived at the House of Blues on Oct. 27, I was shocked to see a line with seemingly no end. Although Kushner wasn’t scheduled to come on until 9 p.m., dedicated fans lined up as early as 6 p.m., energetic as ever to see one of their favorite artists.
Once the doors opened, hordes of people rushed in and beelined towards the merch tables.
The crowd’s excitement did not waver once. When the lights dimmed, a group of adolescent girls a few rows behind me screamed, “I love you, David!” — proclamations I soon found would be a pattern throughout the night.
As the intro to “Darkerside” began, smoke effects and strobe lights overcast by dramatic red lighting painted a much edgier picture of Kushner than I anticipated.
The songs that followed returned to my more tame expectations, including “Dead Man” and “Mr. Forgettable,” which showcased slower chord progressions and softer vocals.
While I wished I had more to say about each particular song, I stopped myself and found that very wish was what I enjoyed least about Kushner’s music — a lack of individuality.
For his entire performance, I felt as though I was listening to one continuous song, one best described as if Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan’s love child were performing a cover of Imagine Dragons’ hit “Believer.”
Across all his songs were an unfortunate number of similarities to his viral song “Daylight.”
A talented artist achieving massive success from a particular song, but then using it as a formula for his other songs, is akin to an angel losing its wings. What makes this perceived lack of creativity so tragic is his raw, breathtaking talent.
Kushner’s voice was truly one of the best male voices I’ve heard live: smooth yet powerful, loud but not overstated. It was truly amazing to hear what he could do.
Belting while running across the stage, he maintained insane vocal control, which kept up even throughout songs such as “Flesh x Blood” and “Cigarettes,” where he showcased his falsetto as well.
Although I didn’t enjoy the songs themselves, I appreciated the messages and stories behind them.
In between almost every song, Kushner addressed and thanked the crowd. He told stories about his early years as a performer or a tidbit on how a specific song came to fruition. It was heartwarming, to say the least.
What I found to be most interesting was the subtlety of religious influence in his songs. Kushner’s Christian faith inspires many of his songs, and I was surprised at how nuanced his references were.
In my experience, Christian music is so distinct that it almost feels like its own genre, but Kushner is unique in his ability to apply faith and religion to his songs without it defining his artistry.
Will I be downloading any of David Kushner’s discography anytime soon? Certainly not. But next time I’m scrolling through my For You Page on TikTok and hear “Daylight,” I’ll smile.
