It was a Tuesday night at the Outset — one of Chicago’s newest venues — and the crowd was pressed up close to the rail before the stage, awaiting Brenn!. At 22-years old, Chicago was one of many stops for Brenn! on his world tour, following the release of his debut album, Amateur At Best.
A dim backlight illuminated his shadow as he stepped on stage and began to play the piano. It was intimate, enticing and drew in the focus of everyone in the crowd. This was the perfect precursor for the incredibly well designed production that followed.
Brenn! is a Tuscaloosa-born, Nashville-based artist, whose music has the sweet nostalgic sound of The Lumineers, accompanied by cutthroat lyrics that so perfectly describe the complexities of love. It is no wonder that Brenn! made Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list back in 2024. His debut album, which he titled Amateur At Best, has laid the blueprint for a very exciting journey.
After the piano solo, warm lights lit the rest of the stage, fully exposing Brenn! and his band, who all wore vintage-style baseball jerseys that read “Amateur At Best.” They all played in front of a massive, crimson red backdrop that read the same thing, outlined in a black and white retro font.
Nearly every song that Brenn! played had a story to tell along with it, making this show incredibly personal for the crowd. Before he played “Brand New Car,” Brenn! told the story of his moving to Nashville. He frequents this coffee shop, where he gets a blueberry iced coffee, and he ended up meeting a guy there whom he wrote the song with. He played “Brand New Car” shortly after.
On his last tour, Brenn! skipped a very popular song, and claimed they got a lot of hate for it.
“So we’re bringing it back, like the McRib,” he said. “This one is about a small town in Indiana, called Valparaiso.”
Three girls in front of me gasped. “Omg Valpo,” one of them said. Valparaiso, colliqually known as “Valpo” is in fact a small town in Indiana, a little over an hour from Chicago with traffic. It also happens to be my hometown. Growing up, Chicago would be our concert destination, so throwing that piece of information out there likely struck some chords with the audience.
“I love her, but the more she tells me / The more I seem to break” he sings in “Valpriso”.
“Valpriso” was a single from Brenn’s debut EP, Upstate. He also sang “Looking For” off the EP, where he played the harmonica.
Brenn! had the ability to connect with the crowd at Outset, talking of his visit to the well-known Zarella Pizza.
He asked, “Alright Chicago, what do ya’ll like to do for fun around here?”
“Drink” the crowd replied in sync. It was hilarious. There’s nowhere like Chicago. Maybe Wisconsin would have a similar response.
When Brenn! played “Days On End” the entire crowd sang along. The entire set put on by him and his band was intentional, well thought-out and a wonderful reminder of why concerts will always be important to human connection.
During one of the many conversations that Brenn! had with the audience during his show, he gave the reasoning behind his naming of the album, being that he believes he is an amateur at everything he does. Being only 22-years-old, speaking from someone who is 23, it can feel like no matter what you accomplish, you have so much more room for growth because you are so young. That being said, If Brenn! believes he is an Amateur At Best, we at Crave are incredibly excited to watch his evolution from here.
Keep up with Brenn!:
Website / Instagram / Spotify / Apple Music / TikTok / YouTube
