Shawn Mendes returns to the stage for intimate Seattle show

Concert review

On Thursday night, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes invited us into his living room. He dimmed the lights, lit a few candles and rolled out a big rug before grabbing his guitar and playing some tunes.

OK, it wasn’t actually his living room, but the intimacy of the Paramount Theatre, the cozy set and the songs — vulnerable and synth-free — made it feel like our buddy Shawn called us up for a house show.

Seattle made the cut for his appropriately named “For Friends and Family Only Tour,” a string of six theater shows in the cities where he recorded his upcoming fifth studio album “Shawn,” out Nov. 15. Mendes recorded part of the album at Woodinville’s Bear Creek Studio, where hometown artists like Brandi Carlile, Soundgarden and Foo Fighters, among others, have also recorded.

The ever-charming Mendes welcomed the audience warmly and called them “cute” and “sweet” throughout the night. The Ontario, Canada-born star seemed to have a genuine affection for our city, recalling “Every person I met (while recording in Woodinville) was the most bubbly, kind human ever.” Clearly, Mendes has never heard of the Seattle Freeze, but let’s not tell him.

Before playing one of those Woodinville-recorded cuts, Mendes shared that he was “feeling a little country up there” and wrote a song called “Rollin’ Right Along.” The tune, along with much of the album, does have a subtle twang-and-stomp clappiness not heard in Mendes’ past catalog of pop and rock-leaning songs. Fans will find that 2024 Shawn Mendes is much more Noah Kahan than John Mayer, but his signature belts and pop-reminiscent runs are still present.

Mendes thanked the crowd for taking a chance on a show where unreleased songs were going to be played, but the audience made it known that they didn’t mind. The excitement of what seemed to be mostly longtime fans, many wearing merch from past tours, never wavered. Screams of “I love you!” and “Marry me!” between songs were ever-present. His “friends and family” hung on to the new sounds and lyrics with anticipation, singing along to the three new songs Mendes has released so far, including the album’s lead single “Why Why Why.” The night was not without some oldies too. Fans scream-sang as if it was a business-as-usual Mendes arena show when he played favorites like “Stitches” and “In My Blood.” 

There were moments when it was just Mendes and his guitar that were reminiscent of when he was first starting out. Like when he was an opener for Taylor Swift on her “1989 World Tour” stop at what was then CenturyLink Field in 2015. Freshly 17 (it was literally his birthday that day and Swift brought him out during her set so the crowd of 55,000-plus people could sing him “Happy Birthday”), it was just Mendes and his guitar, living out his passion of being an artist. 

It’s a passion that’s still there. Despite taking a step back from touring and the spotlight two years ago due to mental health struggles, Mendes’ love for making music has perhaps never been so apparent. He was almost never without a smile, full of joy while interacting with his band and the audience. 

Mendes didn’t shy away from vulnerability, either. He admitted that after he canceled his last tour, he felt like he lost his connection to singing and the “pure joy of it.” What brought him back to it was playing around with a harmonium while singing freely, telling himself there were no wrong notes. He shared a little of what that was like with the audience during a short freestyle session with the instrument.

It was a raw moment where Mendes admitted he might mess up, but this album isn’t afraid of honesty. The lyrics are his most personal yet, documenting the feelings and experiences he’s had over the past two years including his biggest heartbreak, media scrutiny and a time where he felt like he didn’t know who he was. 

The song that seemed to capture that honesty and vulnerability the most was one about grief. Before playing “Heart of Gold,” a visibly emotional Mendes told a story about a close childhood friend who had died from an overdose some years ago. While he and that friend drifted apart as his career advanced, Mendes said he still considered him a brother, and writing this song helped open up those feelings of grief he had shut away when he first heard the news while touring. 

It was one of those moments in which the power of music, and live music in particular, was electric. Hearing Mendes’ words for and about his friend, a brother he didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to, is enough to move even someone lucky to have never experienced a close loss.

The end of the concert, a one-song encore of his 2017 hit “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” almost felt like a statement. After hearing Mendes pour out his feelings and seeing his joy in playing music again, it seemed only fitting that he end the night on words that seem to be more true than ever.