Over the past few years, Owl City (a.k.a. Adam Young) has become a household name in both the mainstream and Christian markets. Love or hate his music, we know that you know all the lyrics to "Fireflies" just as much as the next person does.

With the recent release of his third studio album, The Midsummer Station, Owl City continues his mantra of success. At press time, his latest single--which features pop superstar Carly Rae Jepsen ("Call Me Maybe"), sits at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Meanwhile, Young's single at Christian radio, "Shooting Star," is receiving tremendous airplay in different markets nationwide.

All of that being said, Owl City's live show did not disappoint. On the opening night of his tour at The Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, Young and his band immediately launched in to one of the most high energy sets that I have ever been to.

Strobe lights flashing and synthesizers at full volume, favorites were played from all three records, including "The Yacht Club" near the beginning of the show, which featured vocals from Owl City's friend and frequent tour mate, Breanne Düren.

One of the first things I noticed during the set was the passion that Young performs with. Too often I have gone to shows which feature great artists who make it look like it's a chore to be on stage performing.

Young did just the opposite, playing lengthy guitar interludes, frequently responding to the crowd's enthusiasm, and hitting almost every vocal note completely spot-on.

He also seemed to give new life to tracks from his latest release that I previously had found rather unexciting when listening to them on the album. Both "I'm Coming After You" and "Speed of Love" caught my attention ten times more than their studio versions, and they've both been spinning frequently in my iTunes library ever since the show.

As expected, though, Owl City's singles were what really brought down the house. Deafening screams rocked the venue when Young jumped into performances of "Fireflies" and "Good Time," while other older favorites like "Hello Seattle" and "Meteor Shower" were not far behind in crowd excitement.

Ultimately, not much about the show could have been better. If there's one thing Owl City wants, it's to have his audience walk away feeling good. There's just something about Adam Young's music that has that effect.

I wouldn't recommend skipping an opportunity to see this show live, because there's no one that can do what Adam Young does as well as he does it.




Set list:
"Dreams and Disaster"
"The Yacht Club"
"Cave In"
"The Tip of the Iceberg"
"Dementia"
"I'm Coming After You"
"Umbrella Beach"
"Speed of Love"
"Angels"
"Designer Skyline"
"The Real World"
"Fireflies"
"Silhouette"
"Meteor Shower"
"Hello Seattle"
"Metropolis"
"Embers"
"Shooting Star"
"Deer in the Headlights"
"Good Time"
"Take it All Away"

Encore:
"Plant Life"
"Gold"