Tonight, Dan Layus takes the stage alone and gets right into playing. He opens with their biggest hit, “Boston”. This song would normally be saved until the end, but tonight he is playing songs in chronological order. This single from 2005, hit #10 on the Adult Top 40. The audience is surprised, but they dig it.

Next he plays “Stars and Boulevards”. He says it can be a bit weird playing songs from this debut album because it was so long ago and before he even met his wife. All the Stars and Boulevards (2005) hit #1 on the Billboards chart for Top Independent Albums.

Later on he plays “Fire”. Layus only recently learned that this song almost didn’t make it on the album because the producer and the label didn’t think it fit in well. This album, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt (2008) hit #2 on the charts.

Dan gives props to the opener, John-Robert, who played a great set. Dan and JR only just met a few days ago, but hopefully they’ll collaborate later on in the tour 

Dan says they decided to make their third album self-titled because it really felt like who the band really is. This self titled album (2011) also hit #1 on the Billboards chart for Top Independent Albums. 

To close out his set, he plays “Make Someone Happy” by Jimmy Durante. On this track, he sounds a lot like Rufus Wainwright, which is great company to be in.

Throughout the night, he looks very happy and is enjoying his time back on stage after the pandemic hiatus. The entire set is solid with the crowd singing every song. The songwriting is fantastic and the performance matches it too. The setlist for this show in the same as the one from Columbus, which is available here.

Cost of a ticket: $25 to $35

PlaylistHQ Economic Rating: Exceptional Value

Rating Scale: Exceptional Value > Worth It > Half Price > Go for Free > Don’t Bother

Quinn Delaney