Dayglow rocks into Columbus

Photo by Elizabeth Koeppen 23. During his new rendition of “Junior Varsity,” Sloan Struble zeroes in on the emotion. Though most of his music is upbeat and poppy, this song marked the first slower song in the set.

Photo by Elizabeth Koeppen ’23. During his new rendition of “Junior Varsity,” Sloan Struble zeroes in on the emotion. Though most of his music is upbeat and poppy, this song marked the first slower song in the set.

Elizabeth Koeppen

   After only 13 months after his last appearance in Columbus, 23-year-old singer Dayglow played another sold-out concert at Kemba Live to a crowd of overjoyed fans.

   Upon the release of his third studio album, People in Motion, singer-songwriter Sloan Struble embarked on his biggest tour yet, which included a stop in Columbus, OH. Indie artist Ritt Momney opened for Dayglow, and started the set with “HEADSTART,” a track off his Oct. 22 album, Sunny Boy.

   Fog blanketed the Salt Lake City-based singer for most of his set, and consumed in a cloud of anonymity, he played slower songs for most of his time on stage. He scarcely interacted with the crowd, with the exception of his breakout cover that put him on the indie map: A rendition of Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On.” 

   Overall, his set lacked energy in comparison to Dayglow’s high-intensity music, but his soothing voice was enjoyable nonetheless.

   A little over 30 minutes after Ritt Momney’s set was torn, the jovial voice of Dayglow filled the room of Kemba Live. As the beginning chords of “Radio” sounded throughout the building, the audience erupted into a blur of screaming voices and jumping bodies.

   Despite the majority of Dayglow’s set being songs off his infant, month-old album, the crowd and his music were no strangers to each other. I initially wasn’t the biggest fan of People in Motion upon first listen, I warmed right up to it in concert. 

   In an interview with Atwood Magazine, Struble revealed that the album was meant to be listened to in person. “I went into this record with no rules. The only rule was that I wanted this to feel really high energy, like it was made to be listened to live,” Struble said in the interview.

   The entirety of the album is high energy and vibrant, with poppy, electric songs like “Deep End” and “Then it all Goes Away.”

   A few songs into the concert, Struble mashed his unstoppable “Run the World!!!” with a Daft Punk cover of “Robot Rock.” That was only the first of three covers, though. He later played a rendition of the disco hit from Lipps, Inc: “Funkytown.” Just two songs later, he got the crowd in motion again with Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.” These covers engaged the older audience in particular; they brought them back to their childhood days, or maybe their parents’ childhoods.

   He slowed the set down a bit for a minute to “change the song about change”: “Junior Varsity.” He brought a more electronic, 80’s sound to the originally slow, acoustic track. 

   Throughout the show, Dayglow danced along to each song with full force. He switched out guitars after just about every song, a display of his serious musicianship. 

   If you look at any of the credits on any album of Dayglow, you’ll notice that everything is done by Sloan Struble himself. From vocals to instrumentals to production, Struble is Dayglow in every sense of the word. 

   He exited the stage to a screaming crowd after “Close to You,” a groovy crowd favorite. He wasn’t gone for long, though. Only a minute later, he returned for a one-song encore, “Second Nature.” 

   With the exception of one song, Dayglow played every song off the tour’s titular album, and I can confirm that People In Motion is an album that was absolutely meant to be played live. This tour marked his third appearance in Columbus since his first album three years ago, so I have no doubt he’ll be back after another album. Keep an eye out for his shows and upcoming music.

Photo by Elizabeth Koeppen ’23. Struble brings out an acoustic guitar to play “Turn Around,” a song off his newest album. This was the end of his mid-set lull before he brought the energy back up again.