max mcnown entertained 2 sold out nyc crowds at the unexpected irving plaza
Max McNown sold out two back-to-back nights at the Bowery Ballroom, a triumphant success for any new artist playing NYC. There was, however, just one problem.
A certain, then-unnamed artist needed the venue, bumping McNown’s shows on February 11th and 12th over to the larger Irving Plaza. This wasn’t the worst thing to occur; if anything, more fans would be able to attend, and as McNown’s popularity continues to grow daily, the larger the venue, the better.
McNown’s people knew that the artist had to be huge; to be bumped like that would make no sense otherwise. After some inquiries, their hunch had been confirmed: Sir Paul McCartney would be playing two unannounced, intimate shows and wanted the Bowery Ballroom for those nights specifically, as February 11th was the 61st anniversary of the Beatles’ first show in the United States in Washington, D.C.
McCartney was quite apologetic, offering McNown tickets to his shows. However, McNown notes that despite wanting to go, he felt he had to be responsible: “I honestly wish I could have pulled it off…I always say touring is a job and there were too many people counting on me to play my own show to skip out on it. But yes, ‘tempted’ is an understatement.’”
Irving Plaza was packed on February 11th, and it was clear that being bumped had worked in McNown’s favor. The sheer number of fans was startling, and all were armed with cell phones at the ready, flooding into the front. Further, the crowd was one of all ages, a smattering of a few young children in addition to teenagers and older adults.
McNown opened the show by casually sitting on the side of the stage, just a few feet from the barricade. The audience, rapt, was elated at the intimacy, as if McNown were merely hanging out with his friends. Faces lit up, as did phones, and the show was in full swing as McNown stood and proceeded to make his way to the stage’s center. Ripping into “Love I’ve Got Left,” his second song of the night, the lights burst bright as McNown’s vocals washed over the crowd. An upbeat, anthemic tune, “Love I’ve Got Left” is a standout on McNown’s LP, Wandering, as is his breakout hit, “A Lot More Free,” a track about breaking up with someone, yet subsequently realizing the silver lining. This is the track that put him on the map, introducing his music to TikTok and going viral.
The show consisted of songs off his latest LP, Night Diving, in addition to Wandering and Willfully Blind. McNown is a force to be reckoned with, and this is just the beginning.
