Watch Noah Kahan Cover Counting Crows’ “A Long December” With Adam Duritz At Railbird Fest
Now, see, this is interesting. Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen a new boom of rootsy, confessional soul-baring singer-songwriter music, as it turns out that this stuff clicks just fine with gen-Z and TikTok. One of the standard-bearers of this whole phenomenon is Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, one of the busiest headliners in this festival season. Kahan has been pegged as a stomp-clap revivalist, a guy who’s bringing back the whole Mumford/Lumineers thing a decade later. But what if Noah Kahan’s source material is something older? What if he’s the type of guy to bring out Adam Duritz and cover Counting Crows onstage?
That’s what happened Saturday night at the Railbird Festival in Lexington, Kentucky. Noah Kahan headlined that festival’s first night, and the bill also included Counting Crows. Back in March, Kahan tweeted, “Somehow headlining another festival ?? And I get to watch counting crows play the songs that shaped my childhood? K sounds good.” He did more than that. During his set, Kahan brought out Adam Duritz and sang Counting Crows’ “A Long December” with him — shades of one-time Kahan duet partner Olivia Rodrigo singing “You Were Meant For Me” with Jewel at Madison Square Garden.
“A Long December,” from Counting Crows’ 1996 album Recovering The Satellites, is about a month older than Noah Kahan himself. It’s become a kind of modern standard. Over the past few years, the Hold Steady, Oceanator, and Knifeplay have all covered “A Long December.” At Railbird, Kahan and Counting Crows leader Adam Duritz sang the song together, leading a big festival-wide singalong. When Counting Crows posted the video on their Instagram, Kahan commented, “A full circle moment for me. I am so full of gratitude for you and your music. Truly some of the best songs of all time.” Watch the video below.
🎥| Noah joined @CountingCrows for “A Long December” at @RailbirdFest
(via dawsongmusic) pic.twitter.com/9g909nDHuZ
— Noah Kahan Nation (Forever) (@NoahKahanNation) June 2, 2024
During his Railbird set, Kahan also brought out fellow big-with-the-kids singer-songwriter Hozier, who was one of the next night’s headliners. They did their version of Kahan’s “Northern Attitude” together.
Hozier & Noah Kahan singing Northern Attitude tonight at the Railbird music festival pic.twitter.com/nud7EGnXGf
— Hozier's Vocals (@hoziersvocalss) June 2, 2024
