On September 18 and 19, Dermot Kennedy brought his sprawling North American tour to Boston in support of his latest album The Weight of the Woods. In addition to a couple of sold-out shows, the Irish singer-songwriter was honored with a Boston City Council declaration of September 18, 2026 as Dermot Kennedy Day. Allston Pudding attended the final night of Kennedy’s stop at the MGM Music Hall.
The show began slightly early to accommodate a recent addition to the tour: fellow Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe. Fresh off his high-profile departure from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour in protest of the politically motivated ousting of fellow opener Macklemore, Rowe was quickly scooped up by Kennedy. The Bostonian crowd greeted Rowe with a rowdy, supportive reception. In his following opening set, Jonah Kagen gushed about his luck to be sandwiched between two of his favorite Irish musical artists: “Oh man, what a dream. This is so much fun! Adult summer camp.”
Demot Kennedy made a cinematic entrance to his headlining set amid the backlit trees of a forest-themed stage. His opening performance of “Honest” from The Weight of the Woods set the mood with its pattering percussion building a tension released in the chorus by Kennedy’s forceful vocals. Kennedy demonstrated his soulful vocal performance with songs like “Sycamore” and “All My Friends” while songs like “Turnstile,” “An Evening I will Not Forget,” and “After Rain” had him gruffer and more unrestrained.
Although he only specifically requested that the crowd sing along with him for “After Rain,” they required no prompting to shout along throughout the show. Even in the quieter moments when Kennedy paused to address the audience, fans scattered around the venue could not help but shout “I love you!” The most conspicuous display of appreciation from the collective fandom was when hundreds of phone lights emerged during “The Weight of the Woods.” An ongoing fan-led project distributed green paper hearts to be held in front of the phones to produce a sea of green light.
As he talked to the crowd before playing his song “Boston,” Dermot Kennedy explained his connection to the city and his early days trying (with mixed success) to busk on the streets of Boston. Many years removed from the hardscrabble days of getting kicked out of Fanueil Hall, Kennedy basked in the warm adoration of the fanbase he eventually earned. Fortunately for us, he never held a grudge: “My love for this city hasn’t changed in a very long time. Thank you.”
