On Friday, March 8th, many South Windsor High School students were excited to hear Dan and Shay perform live in concert. Dan and Shay is a two-person pop style country band. Earlier in the day, Dan and Shay were at the Russian Lady in Hartford for a meet and greet.

SWHS senior, Michelle Labonte, was at the Russian Lady event. She stated that she enjoyed the acoustic meet and greet because of how interactive the band was in between songs. Labonte described that it felt like “we were all just hanging out.” She also explained that the band repeatedly expressed their love for small shows because that’s how they started out. Though they played roughly 5 songs, the experience was still unique and exciting for Labonte because she got to meet and take a picture with the band.

Later that day, Dan and Shay had a typical concert style performance at the Oakland Theater in Wallingford, Connecticut. Before coming on-stage, Morgan Evans opened. The Australian country music singer sang his single “Kiss Somebody,” among others. Some of the pieces were even dedicated to his wife. After finishing his set, Dan and Shay took the stage. Their set included some of their popular songs such as “All to Myself” and “Tequila.” Not only did they play their own music, but they also included other songs.

Popularly known for their 2018 single, “Speechless,” the crowd was delighted to hear Dan and Shay sing it live as the first song of the third act. Senior, Anna Garvey, noted that this is her favorite song of theirs. She remarked that, “It sounded even better in concert.”

Despite hundreds of fans in attendance at the concert, the band still managed to interact with the crowd in memorable ways. Throughout the concert, they continuously thanked the crowd for coming. Garvey recounted that at one point, “Shay brought out a camera and turned it around to the crowd and even sang facing the camera.” Though the concert was lively and full of smiles, both the opening act as well as Dan and Shay took the time to send serious messages. They both thanked veterans and people currently in the military for their service. Not only did they mention veterans, but they gave a mini speech about women since the concert was held on International Women’s Day.