Show Review: Dermot Kennedy at Toyota Music Factory in Irving
Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy brought his heartfelt and energetic ‘Sonder’ World Tour to Dallas, Tx on May 23rd. Released in November 2022, Kennedy’s second studio album ‘Sonder’ features 11 songs that will draw out every emotion imaginable, and his performance on stage is no different. Over the course of his 90 minute set, the singer used his soul-hitting lyrics from ‘Sonder’, as well as his first studio album and his various EPs, to tell vibrant stories of life, love, and loss.
The crowd was in awe of Kennedy from the moment he stepped on stage to the moment he walked off. Kennedy was just as in awe of his crowd. Despite performing to a crowd of almost 4,000, Kennedy has a way of making you feel as though he is singing directly to you. The singer opened the show with ‘Blossom’, the closing track off of ‘Sonder’, a deliberate and poetic choice made by the singer, and immediately followed it with one of his biggest hits ‘Power Over Me’. From the moment Kennedy played the first note of ‘Power Over Me’ the entire crowd was roaring. The sold-out crowd then proceeded to scream every single word of the song (and every song after).
As the night continued on, Kennedy would play more fan favorites, including ‘An Evening I Will Not Forget’, ‘Glory’, and ‘Something to Someone’. With each new song played, Kennedy managed to exude even more passion and feeling than the previous song. About halfway through the set Kennedy sat down at his piano and played stripped versions of his songs, ‘Rome’ and ‘Innocence and Sadness’. Kennedy spoke about the meaning behind the songs and asked the crowd to think of fond memories and hold their loved ones close while he sang, and by the end of the second song there was not a dry eye in the house.
The singer kept the theme of love flowing by following the ballads with ‘Outnumbered’ from his first studio album ‘Without Fear’, and his third ever single titled ‘After Rain’. The latter of these two is a very special song for Kennedy and his fans, and the singer made sure that new and old fans alike could enjoy and participate with the show. Kennedy taught the crowd the short phrase ‘you won’t go lonely’, and said that it would be important to remember for the end of the song. When the time finally came, Kennedy had the crowd sing the phrase at least 10 times over, accompanied only by the soft finger-picking of his guitar. That moment, 4,000 strangers singing the words ‘you won’t go lonely’ in unison, is what a Dermot Kennedy show is at its core.
The ‘Sonder’ Tour continues to travel across the US until June 20th, and it is surely a show that you do not want to miss.
