Live: Christian French is in The Space Between
Celebrating his 2023 EP, singer-songwriter Christian French hit up NYC’s Webster Hall last week on The Space Between Tour.
French, who released his first song in 2016, has come a long way from where he started. From his first EDM-tinged pop singles to his latest release, French has explored a variety of new sounds and subject matter. Evolving over the years on a musical journey, French has created a sound that feels entirely his.
The Indiana native has etched a space in pop music that examines the hardships of anxiety, doubt, and insecurity in a way that doesn’t brood or self-deprecate. Instead, it filters his perspective through a lens of positivity, creating feel-good music with a French twist.
Thursday night saw a room full of eager fans awaiting French’s performance. Lisa Heller opened the night, playing “DOWNER,” “brown paper bag,” and others. Heller connected with the crowd through her honest lyrics. Despite having a broken leg, Heller commanded the stage, even coming down to the audience for a cover of “Mr. Brightside.”
Ben Kessler followed with his sound that meshes acoustic guitar and electronic elements. Kessler played through some of his originals like “Concrete” and “Default” before joking about playing the Grey’s Anatomy song, saying he’s never watched and didn’t know “Chasing Cars” in it. Kessler also played his most recent release that dropped a few days ago, “Do It Again.”
As French’s drummer and guitarist walked out, the crowd started cheering. With flashing lights, French walked out to “golden years” playing. Following up with “i think too much” and “sweatshirt,” French was off to a strong start.
With an impressive set list of over 20 songs, the crowd was in for a night of performance. Dancing around the stage to songs like “butterfly fields” and “good things take time,” French was enjoying himself. The crowd was as well, dancing and singing along with French as well.
Scattered across the venue were people of all ages, taking in the show. Taking a moment during the show to point out a fan in the front row, French announced that it was her 50th birthday. The crowd took a moment to sing Happy Birthday to her. French’s music touches people, young and old alike.
Grabbing his guitar, French noted that on each tour, he and his crew end up having a “tour song,” one that ends up getting played all the time. Strumming his acoustic guitar, French began covering “Circles” by Post Malone.
French also treated us to an unreleased song called “punch the breaks.” Having released the space between EP this month, French is already gearing up to release more music.
French finished up the night with crowd favorites, “OH WELL,” “avalanche,” and “head first.”
Catch Christian French on tour here.
See photos from the show here.
