NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 28: Sombr headlines Bridgestone Arena during his “You Are The Reason” tour. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
Sombr returns to Nashville along his “You Are The Reason” world tour, his first headline arena run. Sombr’s last pitstop in Music City came just last September, a show that saw him sell out Nashville Municipal Auditorium while going up against Conan Gray at the amphitheater the same night. Clearly feeling the momentum, it didn’t take the New York native long to set his eyes on the city’s largest indoor venue: Bridgestone Arena.
Eager to get the crowd moving fast, Sombr kicks the night off with the retro-inspired “we never dated,” an exhilarating pop-rock anthem caked in vocal harmonies and a commanding vocal punch. It comes from Sombr’s 2025 sophomore album I Barely Knew Her, the same album that launched the freshly 21-year-old singer into the stratosphere. The eyes are immediately drawn to Sombr’s massive stage design, a multi-story thematic recreation of downtown Manhattan. Sure enough, just like a kid in a playground of their own design, he takes full advantage of the structure, climbing the various ladders and terraces in order to give the audience a more dynamic view. Sombr’s stage is also earmarked by a large protruding catwalk; a feature he makes thorough use of throughout the performance.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 28: Sombr headlines Bridgestone Arena during his “You Are The Reason” tour. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
Around the midpoint of the show, fans were greeted with “My Body Isn’t Ready,” Sombr’s latest single that came out just this Summer. It’s an emotionally loaded song, made all the more poignant by the song’s introduction. Shane Michael Boose, the name behind Sombr, is unapologetic when it comes to opening up about his insecurities, particularly with his body image. It’s a topic he said he’s wanted to cover for some time now, having dealt with insecurity much of his life. Stripping away the high-energy production that accompanied much of his prior set, Boose stands vulnerably at the end of his catwalk, soaking in the spotlight and the sea of dancing lights from the crowd. Boose is young and his audience even younger, so it is not lost on me what this moment meant for the sea of young fans in the audience dealing with these very same emotions that he is describing. Folks only familiar with his widespread TikTok crossovers may not give him the credit he deserves, but when it comes to his songwriting, Boose really has defined his voice. Sombr is the real deal.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 28: Sombr headlines Bridgestone Arena during his “You Are The Reason” tour. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
Shifting back into high-gear, Sombr is clearly one for theatrics. He ended the night on an incredible three-song run of “back to friends,” “12 to 12,” and a planned-not-planned reprise of “12 to 12.” That second rendition may raise a few eyebrows, but the move was quite intentional. For the reprise, Sombr asked fans to put their phones away their cell phones and live in the moment, a scaled back version of what Phoebe Bridgers has been doing along her arena tour. While the first dose of “12 to 12” saw the arena lit up with tiny glowing squares, Sombr’s second go at the song was ripe with human connection; fans were living solely in that moment, soaking in the experience that Sombr crafted and cementing memories that are sure to last a lifetime. The audience was no longer focused on filming Instagram stories or snapping a few grainy photos, they were locked into the moment. The move to add the reprise was without a doubt one of the smartest decisions Sombr could have made.
Setlist
we never dated
i wish i knew how to quit you
under the mat
perfume
come closer
Homewrecker
My Body Isn’t Ready
do i ever cross your mind
dressed
Potential
canal street [audience choice]
crushing
makes me want you
would’ve been you
back to friends
12 to 12
12 to 12 [reprise]
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 28: Sombr headlines Bridgestone Arena during his “You Are The Reason” tour. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
If you missed out on Nashville tickets don’t fret, Sombr still has a plethora of dates left stateside this year, including a pair of hometown shows at the iconic Madison Square Garden. 2027 will see the popstar tackle Central and South America, Oceania, and Europe.
You can find all of Sombr’s upcoming tour dates here.
2026
Oct 30 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center^*
Oct 31 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center^*
Nov 1 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center^*
Nov 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum^*
Nov 4 – Chicago, IL – United Center^*
Nov 6 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse~*
Nov 7 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena~*
Nov 8 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena~*
Nov 10 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena~*
Nov 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena~*
Nov 13 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena~*
Nov 14 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center~*
Nov 16 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena~*
Nov 18 – Boston, MA – TD Garden~*
Nov 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinitiy Mobile Arena~*
Nov 21 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center~*
Nov 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden~*
Nov 24 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden~*
2027
Jan 29 – Mexico City, MX – Pepsi Center WTC
Jan 30 – Mexico City, MX – Pepsi Center WTC
Mar 12-14 – Buenos Aires, AR – Lollapalooza 2027
Mar 12-14 – Santiago, CL – Lollapalooza 2027
Mar 19-21 – Bogotá, CO – Festival Estéreo Picnic 2027
Marc 19-21 – São Paulo, BR – Lollapalooza 2027
Apr 13 – Adelaide, AU – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Apr 15 – Melbourne, AU – Rod Laver Arena
Apr 16 – Melbourne, AU – Rod Laver Arena
Apr 17 – Melbourne, AU – Rod Laver Arena
Apr 19 – Brisbane, AU – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Apr 20 – Brisbane, AU – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Apr 22 – Sydney, AU – Afterpay Arena
Apr 23 – Sydney, AU – Afterpay Arena
Apr 24 – Sydney, AU – Afterpay Arena
Apr 27 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena
May 8 – Oslo, NO – Unity Arena+=
May 9 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena+=
May 11 – Helsinki, FI – Veikkaus Arena+=
May 13 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena+=
May 14 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena+=
May 16 – Antwerp, BE – AFAS Dome+=
May 18 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena+=
May 19 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena+=
May 22 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena+=
May 23 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena+=
May 24 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena+=
May 27 – Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion+=
May 28 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle+=
May 29 – Vienna, AT – Wiener Stadthalle Halled+=
May 31 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome+=
Jun 1 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome+=
Jun 15 – Dulin, IR – Malahide Castle & Gardens#
Jun 17 – Belfast, IR – Ormeau Park#
Jun 19 – Glasgow, UK – Glasgow Summer Sessions 2027#
Jun 21 – London, UK – The O2#
Jun 22 – London, UK – The O2#
Jun 24 – London, UK – The O2#
Jun 25 – London, UK – The O2#
Jun 29 – London, UK – The O2#
Jul 1 – Gdynia, PO – Open’er Festival 2027
Jul 4 – Brussels, BE – Rock Werchter 2027
Jul 10 – Lisbon, PT – NOS Alive 2027
Jul 14 – Milan, IT – Ippodromo Snai San Siro
Jul 17-18 – Berlin, DE – Lollapalooza 2027
^ w/ The Last Dinner Party
* w/ Hannah Jadagu
~ w/ Dove Cameron
+ w/ Ravyn Lenae
= w/ Jessie Mazin
# w/ Suki Waterhouse
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 28: Sombr headlines Bridgestone Arena during his “You Are The Reason” tour. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
Sombr is one of the most difficult to pin down acts from his generation. As the younger end of Gen Z slowly starts defining their zeitgeist, it is apparent that popstars need to fit one of two molds: they either need to be larger than life, extravagant, and sugarcoated or they need to be real, raw, and no frills. Sombr manages to tiptoe both worlds. While some might write that off as fence-sitting, I really don’t find that to be the case here. Sombr’s performance was both highly-polished and set in reality, he laid everything out on the table (and that table was lit up with hundreds of strobing lights). While it may still be too early to tell, I really do believe that Sombr has the capability to be a defining artist of his generation. Go see him live and prove me wrong.