Brenn! is Far More Than “Amateur At Best” in Nashville

Brenn!’s world tour came to a stunning conclusion with a packed show at EXIT/IN

PHOTOS BY KAYLA SIMON

It was a gloomy day in Nashville leading up to Brenn!’s final tour stop at EXIT/IN on Oct. 10, but the rain built the perfect atmosphere for what would be a confessional, wistful setlist from the indie-folk singer. 

Brenn! (or Brennan Keller), who grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL, arrived in Tennessee to wrap up a world tour that spanned Europe and North America. Known for his pairing of storytelling and emotional intensity in his lyricism, Brenn! has been compared to artists like Noah Kahan and The Lumineers during his rise to indie fame. 

Before Brenn! took the stage, Americana singer Mor got the crowd warmed up—and by warmed up I mean swaying to a setlist of devastating, heartfelt songs, making him the perfect opener for Brenn!.

When Brenn! made his way onstage, he started his set simple and raw, singing “LIKE YOU DO NOW” alone at the keyboard before bringing his band out. The energy immediately picked up as Brenn! went right into “HOMERUN” and then “FOOTING,” admitting that the latter is one of his favorite songs to perform live—and that was clear by the energy in his guitar playing and the way he rocked around the stage. “MIDWEST, I’LL BE BACK” was a huge crowd-favorite, with Brenn! commenting that even though Nashville is not in the midwest, it’s still so much fun to sing. 

He pointed out that he’d broken his pattern of wearing baseball jerseys to perform (to match the baseball theme of his debut album AMATEUR AT BEST), explaining that the band was going casual for this last show here in Nashville. Being in Nashville, Brenn! was also able to directly shout out the songwriters he wrote the album with, many of whom were in the room that night. 

To introduce “ROTY” (Rookie of the Year), which utilizes baseball as an extended metaphor for a failing relationship, he went off on a bit of tangent trying (and arguably failing) to explain the plot of the movie The Sandlot—which had the crowd rippling with confused laughter before jumping right into belting the lyrics.

He dedicated his song “SHIVER” to the cold weather finally making its way to Nashville, lamenting that it’s been way too warm along the tour (a sentiment that us Nashvillians could definitely agree with, as we’ve also been waiting for a taste of fall).

Other standout moments from the set included a shoutout to a 9-year-old fan who traveled from Birmingham, AL for the show, Brenn! absolutely ripping his harmonica during “Looking For” and a full room passionately yelling the bridge to “BRAND NEW CAR,” my personal favorite song from the setlist.

PHOTOS BY KAYLA SIMON

As we approached the end of the set, Brenn! gave an explicit sadness warning before “SOMEHOW MADE IT OUT,” a song that definitely lived up to that caution (though arguably, most songs he performed could have come with that warning). This was followed by “Water,” which stood out to me for its beautiful lighting design—colored lights in blue and green mimicked the feeling of being underwater as he sang “the water's coming down / I can pull you out.”

The last song before the encore was “Franklin House,” a song that grows in intensity as the singer expresses guilt over a heartbreaking relationship. Brenn! prefaced the performance by having audience members turn to their friends and say, “You can’t change her” and “You can’t save him;” fitting phrases for a song that builds to the lyric, “You needed saving, but I could not save you this time / All I did was break you forever.”

Throughout the entire show, I noticed how well Brenn!’s band complemented his vocals—powerful drumming and guitar-playing gave each song a cinematic feel, especially when coupled with impactful background singing. 

Brenn! came back out for his final two songs after the room had gone wild with cheers, whistles and maybe even a few tears. He ended his show with “4runner,” the song that catapulted him into the indie folk scene, and he even changed a lyric to highlight our city: “So, NASHVILLE is where I'd rather you be.” 

If I were to describe Brenn!’s final tour stop in one word, I would say cathartic. The music was a release for every person in that room. Brenn! gave us permission to feel our heartbreak, let us know it was okay to move on (or to not move on) and landed us in a room of strangers who could share that feeling with you, even just for the night.