As the intimate crowd of roughly 50 chatted amongst themselves and huddled closer to the front of the room, five outdoorsy-looking men who constitute the group Runnner took the stage, marking the first stop on their North American tour with opener buffchick, a New York based indie-rock artist.
The five-piece, led by Noah Weinman, mostly played songs from their sophomore album, “A Welcome Kind of Weakness,” which released earlier this year. Weinman wrote the record while bedridden from an Achilles tear and a breakup. The album is a bright, unprocessed take on indie rock, and their live performance did not disappoint, as the crowd punctuated each song with rapturous applause.
While the album’s writing stemmed from a negative period in his life, Weinman said he was proud of its contents.
“It’s really nice to, now for the first time, get to really do these songs on the stage and have you all sing it along so well. It just feels good,” Weinman told the crowd. “My Achilles is smiling at you all.”
Subtly commanding the stage in Timberland boots, a hiking vest, and a scruffy beard framed by shoulder-length curls, Weinman appeared as the everyman’s Noah Kahan, and brought the charm and likability that I feel the other lacks. An uncommercialized Kahan, if you will.
He shared his vow to speak more with his audience on this tour, and had several awkwardly humorous audience interactions throughout the night. Throughout the show, it was clear that Weinman was truly grateful to be performing in front of his fans. None of these connections, however, were as captivating as Weinman’s melodic vocals accompanied by his multifaceted band.
Will Brown, the band’s saxophonist, immediately drew the crowd’s attention with his smooth tenor notes. He created an atmospheric, jazzy-pop sound as he led the band into their first song, “Achilles And.”
As members of the audience sang along and Brown soloed on sax, Weinman closed the song with lyrics that sum up the album’s inspiration: “And I so often find myself here / It seems to be my point of restart / Forcing myself to slow down / A torn achilles and a broken heart.”
Save for one jarring moment of audio feedback, Runnner smoothly transitioned between songs from their latest album and older hits. Throughout the concert, Weinman seemed pleasantly surprised that the audience was able to join him in singing. With less than 100 people crowded in the Back Bay venue, their ability to match Weinman lyric for lyric, song for song, created an all-enveloping atmosphere.
In a small venue, audience interaction is crucial to the overall experience, and Weinman was keenly aware of this before, during, and after the show. Some fans had Runnner-themed bingo cards, filled with tracks the band might play. During a moment of silence between songs, a front-row fan shouted that she had achieved bingo. Weinman laughed, congratulating the fan.
Deep into their set, Weinman’s four bandmates vacated the stage, leaving him standing alone in the spotlight. He told the crowd that performing this song solo was something he had never done before, but a fan at his June listening party had requested it.
He began picking on his guitar the intro to his 2024 single “Untitled October Song.”
“I can hear you, but I don’t really wanna talk / ‘Cause you’ve got this strange power / Over me, but I don’t blame you,” he sang, while the audience hummed and swayed along as if privy to a secret Weinman had kept until this moment.
After Weinman’s solo moment, the band returned to the stage and accepted an audience request: “Scabpicker.”
The track is off of the band’s 2023 album, “like dying stars, we’re reaching out,” and Weinman said they had never played it live before. After a few moments of tuning and conversing among themselves, they launched into the reflective indie-folk song, much to the loyal audience’s joy.
The band finished off their set with the upbeat “Heliotrope” and instrumental ballad “Ur Name on a Grain of Rice.”
“You’ve either come out tonight to see buffchick or Runnner, or you are the friend of someone who came out to see buffchick or Runnner,” Weinman said after the band had concluded their last song. “My most solemn goal of the evening tonight is to retain your friendship with that person.”
After the show, Weinman made his way to the merch table in the back of the room. Fans resembled friends as they all gathered and shared personal moments of connection long after the final note. It was clear Weinman was in no rush to end the night—a good omen for the rest of their intimate tour.
