It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since gnash’s famous single “i hate u, i love u” (featuring Olivia O’Brien) was just about inescapable. As a matter of fact, millions of listeners worldwide couldn’t get enough of gnash’s famous DIY sound highlighted by raps over lo-fi beats. Songs such as “ilusm,” “rumors,” “u just can’t be replaced,” and “home” will forever be etched into the soundtrack to the cultural landscape at the time, and are bound to evoke a true sense of nostalgia for those who enjoyed the great pop music of 2016.
It was finally time to bring that nostalgia to life, and there was no better way of doing it than by hitting the road. On September 9, gnash kicked off “the garden tour” in San Diego at the House of Blues Voodoo Room, with both longtime fans and newer fans converging to bond over tunes that can easily make someone feel happy and sad at the same time. “the garden tour” celebrates the 10 year anniversary of gnash’s first three projects, “u,” “me,” and “us.” The tour also revisits his 2019 full-length album “we.”
To help kickoff the evening, gnash invited brake and Mark Diamond to perform opening sets that were vastly different, yet still full of heart. First up was brake, a singer who wasted no time informing the crowd his name was pronounced “like the car.” It was his first ever performance in San Diego, and he impressed the crowd with his vibrant personality and country flair. Mark Diamond followed with a gorgeous acoustic set that really helped set the mood for the evening.
As soon as it was gnash’s turn to take the stage, the singer greeted the crowd by wandering around the garden-like setup on stage, approaching and carefully inspecting various bundles of flowers. It was rather therapeutic singing along with dozens of other people to songs such as “u don’t get me” and “feelings fade.” Throughout the night, gnash also performed some unreleased tracks, including a song he wrote for his cat. The entire evening felt like a full-circle moment that my younger self would have totally been looking forward to in the future!
“the garden tour” marks gnash’s first tour in seven years. Check out photos from the show below, and grab tickets for future tour dates at gnash.us/tour.
brake
Mark Diamond
gnash
