All photos by Liam Fawell (Soundsgood).

Ever since the release of his first song, Lauv has been the soundtrack to many a rainy day, heartbreak mood and teenage angst anthem, and on Tuesday night he became a tangible experience in Astor Theatre.

The last night of the tour was opened by Carlie Hanson, and with her grungy electro pop sound she got the crowd singing and grooving. It would also be in poor taste if I neglected to mention her drummer—I’ve never seen a drummer go as hard as he did, and his energy definitely translated to the crowd one way or another.

 And after all the drumming and the rocking out, Lauv finally took the stage. To preface the release of his new album ~how i’m feeling~ he opened with ‘Drugs & The Internet’ and wasted no time getting into the swing of things. ‘Paris in the Rain’, ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Reforget’ quickly followed before he took a break to introduce himself with a super adorable: “my name is Lauv, hiiiiiiii.” I think it was in that moment I truly fell in love with him as an artist.

It was not hard to tell that he had a genuine connection with his fans—from the mosh to the back, I’m sure everyone felt that he loved each and every single one of them.

 He continued into ‘Sims’ after catching his breath (the background visual was gameplay straight from The Sims™, and yes, I lost my mind over it) and played some songs from his new album as well as his 2018 album I met you when I was 18, and finally leading a unified crowd in a declaration of loneliness.

Lauv took a moment to talk about his project “my blue thoughts,” a space which he created to allow anyone to write down the thoughts that might be intrusive, or unwanted to them.

The next song he played was ‘Superhero.’ It started with an acoustic introduction, but when he opened his mouth to let loose his melancholic vocals, the only word I can find to describe that moment is heart-wrenching. Soon afterwards the song took its course and the rest of the set followed into an anthemic atmosphere, with songs like ‘Mean It,’ and ‘Enemies.’

After the high-energy performance, Lauv took some time offstage to allow a video to play that talked about his experience with mental illness. He then came back and was open and authentic about his own clinical depression and anxiety and shared his story with an empathetic love that could only come from experience. After sharing, he performed ‘Sad Forever’ which he’d written just before he had started his treatment of mental illness.

 Once he was done, he took a moment and asked the crowd: “Is it okay if I play an unreleased song for you guys?” as if the answer could have been anything other than yes, a million times over, yes, and it was beautiful—before I knew it, I was drowning in my own feelings.

He played heartbreak anthem ‘Getting Over You’ before slowing down into ‘Breathe,’ and finishing the night with the first song he had ever released: ‘The Other.’  

It goes without saying, however, that a concert is not complete without an encore. Lauv finished—really finished—with crowd favourites ‘Never Not’ and ‘I Like Me Better.’

From the highs to the slows, from the fasts to the lows, the way the set was crafted was masterful. The way that Lauv captivates his fans—cherishes them, loves them, connects with them—and the way his music was immersive and a sensory experience; Lauv was everything I wanted, never expected and more.