I went to my first concert the summer before seventh grade. It was Shawn Mendes on his 2017 arena tour for the album “Illuminate.”
My best friend and I had counted down for months until the concert date. When the time finally came, we got decked out in “Illuminate” merch and took Snapchat-filter selfies in our seats in Oakland Arena. As the lights dimmed, I screamed my throat hoarse all the way from the nosebleeds.
These eight-year-old memories flooded back to me on Wednesday, the moment that Mendes jogged out on stage in Chicago, strumming those signature chords to 2017’s “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” It marked the beginning of an undeniably electric concert at Huntington Bank Pavilion in which Mendes embraced old hits, discussed vulnerability and even debuted a brand new song.
The public eye hasn’t seen much of Mendes for years. He released the album “Wonder” in December 2020, but otherwise laid low throughout the pandemic. When concerts were possible again in 2022, he kicked off a world tour for the album, but then canceled it, citing mental health challenges.
During his mental health break, we hardly heard from Mendes until last November, when he released his fifth studio album, “Shawn,” without much notice. Mendes wasn’t on my radar anymore at that point, and the album name didn’t pique my interest (he already has an album titled “Shawn Mendes”).
I approached the concert, its overarching tour fittingly called “On the Road Again,” as a now 20-year-old junior in college. No longer do I remember the passwords to old Instagram fanpages from middle school — yes, one of them was for Mendes — nor do I harbor an infatuation with any artist.
But the songs on “Shawn” ended up being some of the highlights of the show, even though I wasn’t familiar with them.
The concert opened with five straight hits from old albums before Mendes’ backup musicians joined him front-and-center for three new songs from “Shawn”: “Isn’t That Enough,” “Heavy” and “Heart of Gold.”
“Heavy” is appropriately named — Lyrically, it’s clear that he writes about going through immense challenges. At the same time, the warm stage lights, camaraderie from his band and smiles on their faces almost turned it into a happy tune.
The same went for “Heart of Gold.” When Mendes introduced the track, he shared that it was one of the hardest songs he’s written because it’s about a childhood friend that he lost. As I tuned into the lyrics and melody from the crowd, I could feel the warmth of the song and the genuine love coming from Mendes.
After this set of songs from “Shawn,” I came to understand the album title. The songs felt much more personal for an artist whose music has always been narrative.
The rest of the night was full of hits. Nothing quite beats dancing to “Stitches,” “Mercy” or 2019’s iconic “Señorita” featuring Camila Cabello. You definitely didn’t have to be a retired fangirl to know every lyric in these songs — You just had to live above ground in the 2010s.
Mendes’ performance of “Youth,” which features Khalid on the studio version, came with an inspirational speech. I remember not quite grasping the themes of the song back in middle school (“headlines filled with devastation”), but this year, the performance felt fitting.
“I’m so glad to be a part of this generation,” Mendes said.
Cheers erupted when Mendes then announced that he would debut a new song on Friday with friend and show opener Eddie Benjamin. The pair delivered a heartwarming acoustic performance, all smiles.
For the encore, “In My Blood,” Mendes hopped on the piano for the only time in his show.
The song, which holds the theme of failure not being in Mendes’ blood despite heavy struggles, felt like the most appropriate choice for a tour called “On the Road Again.” As much as I could be proud of an A-list musician, I felt proud of Mendes for sharing his art with us on the road again.
Again, the “Illuminate” and “Shawn Mendes” tours were my first two concerts. They ignited my love with live music so much that I’ve since seen Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, The Marías, Alvvays, The 1975, Japanese Breakfast, Lana Del Rey, Hozier, The Japanese House, Tyler the Creator, beabadoobee, Lorde … the list goes on.
So, it’s high praise when I say Mendes’ “On the Road Again” concert might have been my favorite show yet.
I have an inkling it’s because these days, I don’t memorize artists’ discography with quite the vigor that I did at 14, no matter how big of a fan I am.
Maybe I won’t be a fan of anyone the way I idolized Mendes back in middle school, but that’s what made this concert special. Watching Mendes on stage for a third time brought back the retired fangirl in me for one night — and it was exactly what I needed.
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