Sombrween Came Early to the Enterprise Center
–by Laura Tucker
There it was, on the calendar, at the end of October; Circled in orange. Not the 31st, but rather the 30th. The day Sombr would finally be stopping in St. Louis on his You Art the Reason Tour. A night we now know as Sombrween (Pt. 1).
The evening started like any show at the Enterprise Center. Eager fans arrived early to snatch up good parking spots and beat the rush to the merch tables.
The show started at 7:00 with Hannah Jadagu. She was a pleasure to get to know. Her long blonde hair matched her white dress, giving her an almost angelic vibe. Her soft indie vocals made it easy to settle in and get comfortable with a short and sweet set that lasted thirty minutes.
By 7:45, it was time for The Last Dinner Party. These five ladies wasted no time serving up their unique, almost ABBA-esque style of music. Their energy was contagious and raised the atmosphere another level as more patrons funneled into the arena. It wasn’t a sold-out show, but it was very close.
The highly anticipated guest of honor would be arriving soon, and the fans were ready. The team @SombrHQ posted a cute flyer with pictures of little Sombr’s past Halloween costumes on Instagram to announce that Halloween was close enough and that dressing in costume could result in a prize. Not to mention being on stage with Sombr for the judging. Challenge accepted.
By 9:00, they were all more than ready to show Sombr their costumes and handmade signs, but they would have to wait about another twenty minutes to welcome him to the Lou.
Suddenly, the venue darkened, and the audience fell silent. In a signature Sombr move, a video montage intro began playing on the jumbo screens. Alone in his room, he talked about how music saved him before writing the words “St. Louis” on the wall next to the cities that he has already played and crossed off the list.
A double door appeared in the New York City stage set as a tall and slender silhouette emerged through the fog. Donning a costume of his own, Sombr was transformed into Christian Bale’s character, Patrick Bateman, from the movie American Psycho. The fictional serial killer was dressed in a business suit covered by a clear plastic coat. The bloody forehead and splatters on his face were only surpassed by his slicked-back hair, which sent fans into a frenzy after appearing on social media.
But the night belonged to the music and the young man who created it: Sombr. The musical persona of Shane Boose came to life after he wanted to release music but, like so many others, was afraid to do so under his real name. He spoke very elegantly between songs and was incredibly genuine about his music, his fans, and his need to create.
Writing, producing, and playing all of his own instruments, he has a true gift for a song’s structure and delivery. He has even caught the attention of Taylor Swift and was personally invited to perform at her induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Between hits like ‘Homewrecker’ and ‘Back to Friends’, he not only threw handfuls of Halloween candy into the crowd but openly expressed gratitude for the overwhelming success he has experienced in record time. During ‘My Body Isn’t Ready’, the audience sang and swayed and filled the darkness with phone lights. I overheard one of the (Sombaddie) moms call the show “wholesome.” I couldn’t agree more.
His fan engagement is unmatched! As part of the tour protocol, he not only takes a random seat in the audience to sing ‘Would’ve Been You’ but also spray-paints a black flag with the words “Sombr Loves” followed by the city name (St. Louis), then takes a lap around the arena with the flag in tow, touching hands and hearts along the way. Surprisingly, the Sombaddies have an unspoken code and manage to keep their cool, creating a safe space for everyone.
He performed more of their favorites, including ‘Perfume’, ‘Potential’, and ‘Makes Me Want You’, and, much to my delight, chose ‘I Don’t Know You Anymore’ as the surprise song for the night.
The costume contest portion of the evening involved about six fans who were brought onto the stage for judging. While there were some good choices, the clear winner, by a very loud audience confirmation, was the pregnant woman who wore a grey shirt and had a Barbie swinging on a chain to simulate Miley on the wrecking ball! She won a Sombr swag bag, and he gave her one for the baby, too.
The only thing that would have made this evening more perfect is more of it! He ended the night with ‘12 to 12’ (X2). After performing it once, he insisted that everyone put their phones away and live in the moment while words of encouragement played on the screens. Fans sang and danced and genuinely enjoyed themselves, phone-free. And those who stayed to the end were rewarded with a confetti shower of epic proportions.
And lastly, he proved that his feet are still firmly grounded by coming out at the end of the night to sign a few autographs. The secret is out, and the size of the crowd waiting has grown exponentially since the tour started. A few lucky fans got to meet him, and one little girl was crying in her 77 T-shirt after receiving a hug.
We wish every year could be Sombrween!
