The evening before Thanksgiving, fans packed the 9:30 Club in Washington DC as they sang along and danced the night away to R&B and Soul artist Allen Stone. With blue eyes and long blonde hair, Stone perfectly fits the “Blue-eyed soul” genre, named for rhythm and blues music performed by white artists. Originally from Washington, Stone began singing at the age of three and started performing in front of his church group as a teenager.

Fellow R&B artist Nick Waterhouse opened the show, accompanied by touring musicians including saxophone queen Paula Henderson. Waterhouse’s set got the energy flowing in the venue with a plethora of guitar and sax solos. 

Stone opened his set with one of his newest singles, “Brown Eyed Lover”. With nearly three million plays on Spotify, the funky love song depicts Stone’s struggle of being in a relationship while also being on the road performing.

Throughout the evening, Stone played many songs off his third album Radius released back in 2015. His first album since signing to Capitol Records, songs off Radius such as “Perfect World”, “Fake Future”, “American Privilege”, “Upside”, “Voodoo”, and “Freedom” showcased Stone’s powerhouse voice and songwriting. Between fan favorites “Love Where You’re At” and “Circle”, Stone took a moment to share some of his personal experiences with the audience and reassure them that anyone going through a tough time is not alone.

Towards the end of the night, Stone performed an unreleased song, “Give You Blue” dedicated to his newlywed bride, who he married just six weeks before the show. Tambourine in hand, Stone also surprised fans with a rendition of The Police classic “Messages in a Bottle” before ending the evening with his latest single “Warriors”.

With two tours and a guest appearance on American Idol, 2018 has been a busy year for Stone. The “Even Bigger Fall Tour” will continue through mid-December, where Stone will work his way back west and end in Spokane, Washington just in time for the holidays. Earlier this month, Stone announced a North American Summer Tour in 2019 with household names Goo Goo Dolls and Train. The tour will stop in Columbia, MD on August 9th, 2019 to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion. With Stone’s wide vocal range and music you can’t help but dance along to, this is a show you definitely don’t want to miss.