Culture
Noah Kahan reveals surprise influences and feelings on Americana genre before sold-out stadium tour
By: Ian Saint
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CINCINNATI, Ohio (WOUB) — “Blue dot fever” may be roiling the live music industry in 2026, culminating in even big stars canceling shows or tours altogether; but Noah Kahan has a sold-out global tour with 29 North American stadium dates, including Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park (100 Joe Nuxhall Way) tomorrow and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park (115 Federal St.) Friday. Gigi Perez and Annabelle Dinda support.
The gargantuan Great Divide Tour production contains several stages; but Kahan preceded The Great Divide’s April 24 release with an NPR Tiny Desk concert. WOUB’s Ian Saint also spoke with Kahan on the red carpet at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium before PBS’ taping of ACL Presents: 23rd Annual Americana Honors — available for streaming on WOUB Passport — in September of 2024, where he was nominated for Artist of the Year.
A transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, follows.
IAN SAINT: Congratulations on your Artist Of The Year nomination. Have you been up for an Americana Award before?
NOAH KAHAN: No, it’s my first time.
IAN SAINT: Artist Of The Year being your first nomination is remarkable.
NOAH KAHAN: I know. You can only go down from here, realistically.
IAN SAINT: Have you encountered any of your fellow nominees?
NOAH KAHAN: I’m a huge fan of them all. Tyler Childers is a real North Star for me. Sierra Ferrell, I think, is incredible. Allison Russell, unbelievable — I know she opened for Hozier, he’s a friend of mine and an inspiration as well. Charlie Crockett, I love. I’m really honored.
IAN SAINT: You’ve performed at the Ryman Auditorium several times. What do you love about playing the “mother church”?
NOAH KAHAN: The backstage is really cool. There’s a lot of history here. You kind of can’t escape the legacy of the place, which can be really intimidating, but also really rewarding. The crowds are always really respectful, which I like. And the sound booms through the room during soundcheck — it never sounds the same during soundcheck as it does during the show, so it’s one of those things, you go out there and you’re like, “We’ll see how it goes tonight.” We’ve had some amazing shows here; we’ve had some tough shows here, honestly, but we were always honored to be able to play the mother church.
IAN SAINT: What’s the most surreal place you’ve gotten to play thus far?
NOAH KAHAN: Fenway Park is, by far, the greatest venue. It’s New England royalty. (Kahan is playing four shows there this summer.)
IAN SAINT: Oh, Fenway is extraordinary. I saw Roger Waters play The Wall there, and I was in awe of how this century-old stadium keeps serving its purpose — because in most cities, it seems the sports team owners want to tear the venue down every 20-30 years.
NOAH KAHAN: They better not tear Fenway Park down. I’ll stand in front of the excavator.
IAN SAINT: I’d be right there with you. What are your feelings on your association with the “Americana” label? Your fellow nominee, Tyler Childers, isn’t so keen on it.
NOAH KAHAN: Americana, to me, really functions as a storytelling vessel — the storytelling, and the feeling of ownership over the genre and over the instrumentation. I think it’s really all what I listen to all the time, so I’m honored to be a part of it. I know genres, like you said, are kind of getting fluid nowadays. That’s okay; I think as long as the song is great, the song is great. If it’s a great song and it’s got banjo in it, it’s still a great song. I think as long as the story being told feels authentic, then I don’t care what genre the song is; and I’ll listen to anything that has a great story.
IAN SAINT: Are there any influences on your songwriting that people might find a little surprising?
NOAH KAHAN: Yeah, I love Great Big Sea. They’re the first show I ever saw: Great Big Sea at the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, New Hampshire. They have these really big, anthemic choruses, that I’ve tried to emulate my entire career. And they’re maybe a band that most people would not associate with me, but I think they’re amazing. They’re a little bit older; I saw them when I was maybe eight years old. It was really cool to get a really early look at these big anthemic choruses that they were doing, and it really inspired me.
IAN SAINT: What’s your favorite big anthemic chorus?
NOAH KAHAN: “From Eden,” by Hozier. It’s an amazing chorus.
IAN SAINT: Okay, fascinating answer. My impulse was “We Are the Champions” by Queen, but that may be a trite response.
NOAH KAHAN: That one’s good. I’ve never felt like much of a champion.
IAN SAINT: Well, you might be tonight.
NOAH KAHAN: I don’t know, we’ll see. I don’t get my hopes up. I’m just happy to be here, dude — I’m looking forward to watching the performances and everybody’s outfits.
IAN SAINT: And what’s the background on your dapper outfit?
NOAH KAHAN: It’s a nice white outfit with cream tones. Billy Reid made it. He did a great job; thanks, William, I love it.
Sierra Ferrell took home the Artist Of The Year trophy; but “We Are the Champions” has no doubt been played countless times across the many stadiums on Noah Kahan’s sold-out tour. Americanafest 2026 takes place from Tuesday to Saturday, September 15-19; with the Americana Honors taping at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (116 Rep. John Lewis Way) on Wednesday, September 16. For conference passes and award show tickets, visit https://americanamusic.org/.