Dermot Kennedy | Portland, OR

Dermot Kennedy made his way back to Portland, Oregon after nearly a year. Fans were lucky to see him supporting Shawn Mendes in 2022 before the tour was canceled. This time, Dermot was the headliner, bringing Dom Malin and Kevin Garrett with him to Keller Auditorium.

Dom Malin kicked off the night with an acoustic guitar and a loop pedal. The UK singer had a friendly demeanor and choruses reminiscent of Damien Rice. Kevin Garrett followed not long after with Will Wells on keyboard and Al Cleveland on drums.The grammy-nominated singer-songwriter worked in a few jokes between chill beats and smooth rasp of his voice.

The LED backdrop was glitchy accompanied with sound bytes of news reporting. It was as if the show was piecing itself together before Dermot hit the stage and began the set with “Blossom”, a song from his latest album, Sonder. The energy from “Power Over Me” set the tone for the rest of the evening, Dermot smiling every time the crowd could be heard singing the lyrics. The theme for the night was very much a city vibe with roads, bridges and buildings flashing on the screen throughout. The Irish singer restarted “One Life”, stating that normally he would push through a small mistake, but this was important to him.

There were many dramatic builds throughout the night, but “Rome” and “Innocence of Sadness” were a couple moments of stillness as Dermot played the piano solo. Overall the night was full of raw emotion that seemed to be felt on a spiritual level.