Concert Review: David Kushner’s ‘The Dichotomy’ Tour Gave an Emphatic Reprieve to Austin
David Kushner, the multi-platinum artist behind the hit “Daylight,” delivered infectious enthusiasm to Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater on Nov. 12, with support from Henrik. Performing tracks off his autobiographical debut album, The Dichotomy, the deep-voiced warbler ushered in an introspective night filled with throaty ballads.
Written by Rachel Joy Thomas
Photos by Mackenzie Coleman
David Kushner, one of the breakout singer-songwriters of the early 2020s, first garnered attention with the standout song "Miserable Man" in 2022. The eerie track, which echoes themes similar to Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," explores the inescapable misery of living in a small town with deep self-loathing — a sentiment that attracted a voracious audience of young people who felt trapped in their bedrooms.
Kushner became a viral sensation after releasing a small clip on TikTok of "Daylight," a gothic pop ballad produced by Rob Kirwan. His crowning breakthrough arrived as his small TikTok snippet culminated in videos with "30 million views and 7 million likes" popping up on the platform.
The release of the pop artist's debut album, The Dichotomy, lured in an even wider audience, enticed by his introspective ballads about relationships, religion, and loss. Kushner’s relatability remains a keystone in his music, drawing an audience of wanderers looking for a sonic home with his deep, gravelly warble. With over 17 million monthly listeners, Kushner embarked on his first tour for his profoundly thoughtful debut, including a stop at Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin.
Before Kushner took the stage, opener Henrik grabbed the microphone for a polished performance of his "South Jersey music." The acoustic pop artist, who likened his ginger hair to "Ed Sheeran," laughed with his backing band in good humor throughout his opening set, delivering twangy ballads with peaking high notes. Tracks like "Turn out fine" encouraged audience participation, with Henrik roping fans into waving their hands and singing along to his tracks. Jovial, personal, and ultimately inviting, Henrik chose to play a cover for his penultimate track, singing Noah Kahan's "Stick Season." Closing off his portion of the night, he opted for his ever-popular track "Half of forever" before leaving Stubb's stage to enthusiastic cheers.
After a brief hiatus, Kushner took to the stage at 9:04 p.m. White and red lights fiercely collided in sync with the bass drum kick as he approached the microphone to open his set with "Darkerside." The gravel outside Stubb's shook due to the song's thundering bass, with Kushner supplying a deep well of baritone vocals. He invited the crowd to sing along to the lyrics: "There's so many things I'm tempted by / But you bring me back to the light," holding up his microphone with a coy smile. As red lights flashed to white, audience members held up phones to record the Christian artist as he perfomed onstage in a white polo.
Kushner addressed the audience before launching into the next track: "Thank you so much for buying tickets and coming to my show tonight. This next one is called ‘Poison.'"
Onstage, the lights shifted from orange to red as Kushner sang: "I look to Heaven a lot / But Hell is coming in hot." Akin to worship music, the haunting track's frequent references to scripture and sin captivated listeners. Some fans waved their hands in a display of connection, while others stared at Kushner, utterly transfixed by his performance. During the post-chorus, the serenader hit harrowing high notes as a classic Christian kick drum blared into the venue.
Another religious ballad, "Sweet Oblivion," melded well with the crowd's overall enthusiasm for Kushner's evocative lyrics and woeful rhapsody. His vocal ability shone while referencing scripture and heavenly bodies, singing: "With you, there's no dying shame / Just a breathless whispered grace / Kings and choirs sing your name." The track, referencing heaven and the paradox of sweet oblivion, warned against temptation while white angelic lights illuminated Stubb’s, calling toward the song's seraphic picture painting.
White lights shone, raining down on the crowd during "Mr. Forgettable," one of Kushner's earliest and most popular songs in his career. The cathartic track, which agonized over his grandfather's battle with dementia, somberly recounted: "I know that you're waiting for me like a dog / But have some patience for the part of me that's lost." Audience members quietly sang along to the familiar tune. After noticing this, Kushner started singing along at the chorus, saying: "Sing it one more time for me, Austin," allowing them to finish the song.
"I'm gonna slow it down again if that's alright," Kushner said later in his set, introducing a song from earlier in his career, “Elk Grove.” A sudden tranquility overtook the audience as ethereal, bright light bathed Kushner. Playing out one of his favorites, the famous artist emphatically performed his dynamic ballad. With angelic high notes, Kushner proved he could switch his husky roar effortlessly to a higher-pitched register. Nervously pacing around the stage, Kushner imbued the ballad with grief-stricken vocals, despite antsily stepping around cords and wires.
During a brief break between tracks, Kushner noticed a fan in the crowd trying to get his attention. He stopped the set to ask the audience member a few questions, learning that the young fan had come to his concert on her birthday. “How old are you turning?” he asked.
Soon, many other fans chirped up, and Kushner quickly realized that a gaggle of young audience members were celebrating birthdays that night. Many fans turning 14, 15, or 17 years old added their birthdays to an ever-growing list. With that, Kushner sang "Happy Birthday" for the audience, ending on an unexpected high note.
"You and Me" marked a shift in Kushner's set in its more pop-laden approach that contrasted with the more thoughtful tracks played earlier. The rhythm drumming broke away from the group's tradition of Christian kick drums and snares for a more vibrant beat. Kushner invited the crowd to sing the last segment before blinding lights crashed into the crowd's periphery, closing off the night’s main performance.
At 10:03 p.m, Kushner walked off stage, only for the crowd to immediately cry for an encore before he even left. As fans screamed for "Daylight," the singer quickly returned, but surprised the audience by playing a different song first — “Miserable Man” — before returning to his most famous track.
His live rendition of the devastating ballad aged like fine wine, with Kushner's voice rattling with a deeper melancholy than its studio counterpart. While the Chicago singer still maintained some vigor and youth, the soft overtone of the live performance felt even more sorrowful. Kushner injected the song with some note variety and inflection before virtuosically ending the track, adding slight, varying inflections that differentiated from the track's flatter studio version.
An interlude played out as seafoam-green light bathed the audience. As the opening spoken interlude, "I wait for the daylight," began, fans realized which song would play next, creating a tsunami of cheers.
"I've got one more song, Austin," Kushner said. "Let's sing this one together, and then I'm going to bed." He launched his most famous ballad without any more pauses or interludes, breaking into a vigorous tone that matched the track's desolate soundscape. Kushner, expecting his audience to sing along with him, sometimes dropped out of singing to listen to the crowd's roar, only to find that the audience didn’t follow or sing along. Despite this, the evergreen track enthused audience members, the crowd still crying for the deeply reflective singer's soul-searching tone.
The autobiographical nature of Kushner's work echoed throughout Stubb's on Nov. 12, reflecting both his experiences as a Christian and his personal struggles. Much like his debut, The Dichotomy, Kushner's concert proved enriching, albeit somewhat tied to individual rather than universal themes. Nevertheless, Kushner performed a beautiful, perpetual set filled with powerful, evocative vocals and triumphant words.