[PICS!] Christian French @ The Constellation Room – September 8, 2023

Just a few days after releasing his latest EP the space between, alt-pop singer Christian French embarked on a US tour to support his brand new project. I had the chance to catch Christian on the second night of his tour at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana.

Lisa Heller started the night off, making sure her bubbly personality could be felt all throughout the room. Despite encountering a few technical difficulties at the beginning of her set, Lisa was able to shake it all off and visibly started having a blast while performing. And of course, that kind of energy rubs off on the crowd quickly. 

Hopping on tour with Christian French was just one of the many exciting things that has happened in Lisa Heller’s realm this year. The alt-pop singer has been releasing new music every month this year, and packaged it all into an EP called DAMAGE CONTROL back in August. 

Ben Kessler was next to perform, and there was only one thing that came to mind the moment he began to sing: His voice is UH-MAY-ZING and unique. Seriously. I couldn’t resist the urge to send Snapchat videos of his performance to my friends and even telling a few that “if Post Malone, Ed Sheeran, and Dean Lewis all raised a child together, this is how he’d sound like. 10/10.” Ben performed a gorgeous cover of “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, which he said people will refer to as the “Grey’s Anatomy song” around him. He also played plenty of originals, including “Concrete,” and “When I Hate Myself.” Ben mentioned it was his first time in Santa Ana, and his very first US tour. It certainly won’t be his last!

Those who have been to a Christian French show before know there’s this huge sense of euphoria that fills the room as soon as he hits the stage. He’s a very energetic performer, and was bouncing around the stage within moments of the start of his set. Just a few songs into the set, Christian took a pause to – in his words “get sappy” and give a sincere thank you to the crowd for sticking with him through the pandemic. 

“I had no idea how many times I was gonna have to repeat this over and over and over again in my head over the next few years,” he said. “But god dammit, good things really do take time.”

(And then of course, he proceeded to sing “good things take time,” and the crowd erupted in cheers.)

The vibes felt like a true family reunion. The last time I saw Christian French live was on his Avalanche tour in 2021, but his stage prescience is better than ever! Christian was truly enjoying being on stage, and at the end of the show, he mentioned that it was the most fun he’s had on stage in a long time. There were plenty of silly moments through the show too, such as having his band play the Home Depot theme music and accepting a fan’s challenge to a rock paper scissor battle. Christian created a cozy environment with his upbeat tunes and great sense of humor. 

Check out pics from the show below!