REVIEW: Stephen Wilson Jr. at Gramercy Theatre | 12.10.2024
When I first launched Dangit Bee! just over two years ago, I mentioned that there would be times where I’d venture beyond rock and metal to cover artists from other genres. I’ve been pretty straight and narrow to date with my coverage, but sometimes there comes an artist that's too prolific to overlook; one with ideas that extend beyond the confines of traditional approach to their primary genre – say country music, for example. I’m talking about Indiana born-and-bred singer songwriter Stephen Wilson Jr.
Wilson sums up his music up with a tagline of his own creation: “death cab for country.” The songs are undeniably country, but there are nods to grunge and emo in there as well. Wilson’s vocals can go from Merle Haggard to Chris Cornell in an instant, and for the ones like me that tend to be country-averse, that effortless switch in vocal style was enough to lure me in, break my heart, and blow me away.
The first song I heard from Stephen Wilson Jr. was an acoustic version of “Year To Be Young 1994”. The sixty-some odd second clip shared on TikTok stopped my endless swiping in an instant. I was frozen by the intensity with which the song resonated with me. As I'd come to find when diving into the rest of Wilson's music, that was to be the rule and not the exception.
You know, it's weird – I realize that I'm getting to the point in life where I'm around the same age or older than the newer artists that I'm listening to. I've always been worried about when this time would come; when there's no artists to look up to, just artists to look at, metaphorically speaking. I've always thought it more comfortable when it feels like someone's telling you about what's to come, rather than what you should have already seen or unknowingly left behind.
Stephen Wilson Jr.'s lyrics are wise beyond their years, Though his songs are deeply personal they feel anything but emotionally reclusive; more like an invitation to join him in the shared experience of the beauty and pain that defines life. Combine that with a shared nostalgia for the same decades past, and the music transcends, becoming therapy, Wilson articulates the hurt with a path to healing, and God knows we could all use a little healing in a world that's understatedly hurting.
Last month, on a rainy December night in Manhattan, Stephen Wilson Jr. brought his healing musical touch to a sold-out Gramercy Theatre crowd. The room was filled to capacity well over an hour before Wilson was scheduled to take the stage. The anticipation gave way to raucous applause as the members of Wilson's band walked out one by one, followed by the man himself.
Wilson quietly strummed his guitar and teased the first vocal lines of Hum's "Stars" before launching into "Calico Creek." As instantaneous was the impact of his music upon first hearing it, so too was the impact of his performance. It was clear that Wilson was born to be on that stage, and that the express purpose for which he graces it is to create a sincere connection with his audience.
Wilson played equal parts musician and storyteller in his performance. He tied the setlist together with tales about the people and the moments in life that inspired the songs he was playing, leaving the experience open for the audience to weave in their own history as well as to bask in their own emotional catharsis.
Wilson's setlist showcased a plethora of great tracks from his mammoth 22-song debut album, søn of dad, as well as his deservedly lauded viral rendition of "Stand By Me." There was a message of love throughout the performance. It was a feeling that Wilson implored the audience to share often with those they care about most; to say "I love you." "Don't be afraid to say it more than once," Wilson mentioned at one point during the set. "Nobody's counting."
The 2025 edition of Stephen Wilson Jr.'s søn of dad Tour is already in full swing. Check out the extensive list of tour dates and grab tickets before they're gone (they will be if they aren't already!).
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