When Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan took the stage at the Utah State Fairpark on Sunday night, he opened the show with a five-word quip and a big grin.
“It’s your favorite country star,” the folk-pop artist joked to the expansive crowd that spilled out in every direction of the fairpark grounds, seemingly never-ending.
Country or not, Kahan’s performance was a sigh of relief for many in the crowd who had endured a long 24 hours.
Redwest, a Utah country music festival, had a rocky Saturday night. After a four-hour weather delay that left many of the attendees temporarily stranded, the festival’s programming was cancelled — including a performance from headliner Post Malone.
“I know I’m not Post Malone,” Kahan said in his intro, “but if you squint real hard and feel s--ty, you can kind of make it happen.”
“To every single person last night that didn’t have the experience they wanted, I hope that we can have a good time with y’all tonight,” Kahan told the crowd.
With his trusty ukulele in hand, donning a white denim jacket with ‘Redwest’ embroidered on the back of it in red string, Kahan immediately launched into his track “All My Love.”
From there, he played a beautiful 16-song set, almost all the tracks are from his 2022 album “Stick Season” which has seen a number of different editions over the past two years.
(Palak Jayswal | The Salt Lake Tribune) Noah Kahan headlines the Redwest country music festival in Salt Lake City on Oct. 12, 2025 at the Utah State Fairpark.
Despite the fairpark’s mushy ground from the previous night’s rain and an October chill in the air, couples and friends alike danced to his folk music, many swimming in oversized Kahan hoodies.
Kahan’s ability to throw himself entirely into his performances was on full display Sunday night. His body and guitar moved as one during “New Perspective.” His note changes in “Northern Attitude,” despite being breathless from Utah’s high elevation, were magnificently effortless.
When fan favorites like “Orange Juice” and “She Calls Me Back” came up in the setlist, the crowd, shivering and clutching drinks, sang along with him as loudly as they could.
In the past, Kahan has featured Malone on a version of his song “Dial Drunk” but Malone did not make an appearance at the Sunday night performance.
Kahan performed a new song called “Deny, Deny, Deny” and also covered Jason Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires” with Arizona singer-songwriter Avery Anna, who performed at Redwest earlier in the day. Anna posted on TikTok at the end of September, hoping to perform with Kahan at Redwest.
Before bringing Anna on stage, Kahan told the crowd he went through Instagram comments after being announced as a headliner and saw that people were upset because he “wasn’t country.”
“I’ve never once claimed to be a country musician, but I have loved country music and storytelling my whole life,” he said, “I think good stories cut through regardless of genre, and I’ve tried my best in my own way, to tell stories. Some of the artists that inspire me and are great storytellers have shaped the way I make music and listen to music, and so many of those are country artists.”
Together, the two performed a haunting and beautiful rendition of the song, their voices melting into one another.
(Palak Jayswal | The Salt Lake Tribune) Folk-pop artist Noah Kahan pays tribute to Zuza Beine, a 14-year-old influencer who died of cancer, during his set at Redwest in Salt Lake City on Oct. 12, 2025.
There was an emotional touch midway through the show when Kahan dedicated what is arguably his most emotional song “Call Your Mom” to Zuza Beine, a 14-year-old fan and influencer who died in September following a 11-year battle with cancer. While Kahan sang, photos of Beine and family showed in the background.
Kahan may not technically be a country artist, but his songs do tell stories. Stories that thousands of fans connected to as the festival came to a close.
As the show closed out with “Stick Season” and a musical throwdown of instruments, melodies and notes — all loud and joyful — fireworks erupted from the Days of ‘47 arena, lighting up the Sunday night sky.