Theo Katzman - Modern Johnny Sings: Songs in the Age of Live (2022)

It was February 2020, and I was on tour in support of my new album Modern Johnny Sings: Songs in the Age of Vibe. It was the most ambitious tour of my life, and Brooklyn Steel was the biggest venue I’d ever played as a solo artist. I had a feeling that this show would be special, and decided ahead of time to record and film the concert, with the goal of capturing a live album and concert film. The stakes were high: what if something goes wrong? What if I lose my voice? What if I don’t “nail it”?

Walking up to the stage, I could feel the energy of 1,800 people waiting in anticipation. Sometimes a concert feels like a battle at The Coliseum. Sometimes the energy wells up so strongly in me that I have to step away from the microphone, turn to Joe Dart, and in my best Russel Crowe, scream “are you not entertained?!”

This concert at Brooklyn Steel had the Coliseum thing going in a BIG way. But it wasn’t a battle, it was a synergistic explosion of energy, a conversation between the band and the audience, each reflecting and amplifying each other in a sacred exchange that we could only experience together, in that moment, in that place.

Just a few weeks after this concert, our tour, along with all of live music, would be cancelled for the better part of 2 years. I feel lucky to have captured this honest picture of myself as a live performer, with an absolutely incredible band, at an amazing venue, and with a fully packed house of engaged listeners.