In recent years the internet has made it possible for up and coming musicians to share their voices with the world. Justin Bieber, 5 Seconds of Summer, Alessia Cara, and countless others all got their start on Youtube. Among these internet success stories is Shawn Mendes. Shawn’s following started on the popular app, Vine. Vine is a social media platform which allows people to post six second videos. In 2013, the Canada native began uploading short covers of popular songs. He quickly gained a large following of fans and even caught the attention of Island Records. By 2014, he signed his first record deal. Nearly two years later, the now eighteen year old shows no sign of slowing down. He’s come a long way from his time on Vine and has landed huge performances. He’s performed at Q102’s annual “Jingle Ball” concert and he even spent last summer with Taylor Swift singing to the sold-out crowds of her “1989” tour. Shawn just embarked on his own world tour and is selling out venues around the world. On August 14, 2016 he played the “Mann Center for the Performing Arts” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Just two years prior, he had played the same stage as an opening act for Austin Mahone. This time the crowd of 13,000 was there only for Shawn. I’ve seen Shawn live multiple times now, but August 14, 2016 was definitely his best performance yet.
The show started around 7PM with a performance by James TW. His music is of similar style to Shawn’s with the same laid-back acoustic songs fans of Shawn are accustomed too. James played a half hour set consisting of songs from his debut EP “First Impressions.” I immediately fell in love with his voice and downloaded his EP right after the concert. I’m sure many other fans in attendance had the exact same reaction as me. James’s voice, British accent, and natural musical ability captivated the audience. Even though he was a long way from home, Philadelphia made him feel welcome. He is a perfect fit to be joining Shawn on his world tour.
After James finished his set, the crowd was ready for Shawn. My friends and I were filled with anticipation (and ice cream) as we sat on the lawn. At 8:30PM, Shawn took the stage. He opened his set with his hit song “Something Big” off of his debut album “Handwritten.” The crowd was almost louder than him as we all sang the lyrics. The show continued as Shawn played more of his hit songs such as “Life of the Party” and “Stiches.” He even played a couple new songs which have yet to be released. It was amazing to see how far he has come from playing this venue as an opening act to now selling it out himself. He proudly proclaimed that this was one of the biggest shows on his entire tour. Shawn was clearly proud of himself and the crowd was equally as proud of him.
This eighteen year old has come a long way from posting six second videos. Even though he’s gained a huge amount of success in such a short period of time, he still seems to be the same down to earth teen that captured the hearts of his fans. Shawn’s smile never left his face and neither did the smiles of the 13,000 fans in attendance.
