Last week we had the privilege to celebrate “The Golden Years” of Joshua Bassett at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The venue began to fill to the brim with excited fans, causing a double wraparound of a merchandise line. Tour opener Thomas Day ignited the crowd's fiery passion for the night of music, which was only forwarded as much when Bassett’s pre-show playlist ended with One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful”, a song well-known by the entirety of the crowd, enhancing the safe environment that Bassett creates at his shows.
All of a sudden, One Direction stops, the lights go down, and what seems like just seconds later Bassett jumps out from behind the stage, soaring above his band and beginning with the title track of his debut album and tour name, “The Golden Years”. “The Golden Years” album, released in July of 2024, is a personal showcase of moments throughout Bassett’s life, much of which he showcases through his shows as well. “The Golden Years” title track highlights the nostalgic feeling of those seemingly better times of your past, and longing for what could’ve been, an excellent opener for the tour! Also on the setlist and album is “Cherry Blossom”, a song Bassett stated was written in Nashville. Before the song “Circles”, Bassett brought two fans on stage to teach him a line dance in tune with the song, a true Nashville staple. They showcased the “Fake ID” line dance from the movie “Footloose”, and the crowd learned that Bassett is indeed a good dancer and a quick learner for line dances as well. With a nostalgic feeling highlighted on tour, there was no shortage of empowering stories told from Bassett about the struggles of his life, and how they made him into who he is today. “Mirror” references Bassett’s addiction struggles, and his close-to-heart failure hospitalization scare, which ultimately sparked a revitalization within himself that Bassett speaks of passionately, as he faced intense physical, mental, and spiritual changes. Also during Mirror, Bassett’s adorable dog Woody joined him on stage, hopping right up on the piano bench and getting comfy. On the other hand, “Little Rita” references a close friend of his whose house burnt down.
But with a nostalgic feeling tour, it’s only right that Bassett highlighted both the new songs of his discography, as well as his older hits. Placing them all throughout his setlist, fans from the very beginning definitely got to hear some of their favorites including “Lie Lie Lie”, “Smoke Slow”, “Set Me Free”, and finally as part of the encore, “SHE SAID HE SAID SHE SAID”. Overall, Joshua Bassett celebrated the feeling of nostalgia and finding peace in your life in one of the best ways that there are, a beautiful night of music.
- Kylie Hoover
Photos Courtesy of Kylie Hoover (For Bell Music Magazine)
