On Oct. 22, the day after releasing his newest album “Here Goes Nothing,” Adam Melchor performed at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway as an opener for folk pop artist Noah Kahan. The venue, while grandiose and beaming like a scene out of a movie, was softened with the bright glow of Melchor and his many guitars. It was clear at some points that the crowd, while still filing in from the lines that wrapped the building, were not necessarily Melchor’s typical followers. The singer didn’t appear to mind, however, as he welcomed all to enjoy some of his old and new songs alike. Melchor eventually won the audience over by cracking a few jokes, including one about how he released his album on the same day Taylor Swift released her chart-topping “Midnights” album.
Mixing some of his songs that were released literally the day before the show like “i’m ready” and his older hits like “Joyride,” Melchor created an experience where the audience wasn’t expected to know the words, but were encouraged to just listen, vibe, and dance — something a lot of music artists lose sight of when performing at concerts. Between his sentimental songs and his practiced guitar switches, Melchor told some stories about the background of his music and songwriting process.
One of the most interesting stories included a teasing of Charlie Puth or as he called him his “Sweet Charles,” who “totally ghosted” him. Melchor’s track “Let Me Know When,” featuring Fleet Foxes, has credited Charlie Puth as an assisting writer, but the story of how they got to that point reveals more layers.
Melchor was over at Puth’s house — which he described as bigger than an entire campus — where Puth was looming over his “majestic piano.” They sat together and wrote the start to a song — which Melchor described as a surreal experience, but one he nevertheless was determined to finish. After exchanging information, Melchor finished the song and sent it to Puth, who never replied. In curiosity and a little bit of anxiousness, Melchor approached Puth at an event they were both at together. When he asked about why he didn’t reply to the song Puth said it was because it was “the saddest song he ever wrote.” To which Melchor exclaimed to the audience that he “monetized on the trauma!”
The song was very melancholic with lyrics completing the title: “Let me know when you fall out of love with me.” If that wasn’t heart-wrenching enough, Melchor sang an interlude with a snippet of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” that needs to be released on Spotify immediately.
Throughout his set, Melchor revealed himself to be not only talented but also incredibly humble. Constantly giving thanks to an audience that was barely attentive and highly intoxicated. It is clear that he is happy and content making music, and has little expectations of how fast and big fame should be, and this is something his fans and future listeners will appreciate.
Catching up with him after the concert, The Harvard Crimson asked him how he felt after his performance.
“I feel great about it, it's so nice to be able to play live,” he said. “I wanna go on record and say Noah Kahan is the nicest person I’ve ever met, and that's it,” he said, proving once again to be the humble and incredibly thankful artist that deserves the successful career he is creating and will continue to create.