Seeing Allen Stone live is an experience. Unfortunately, his Building Balance Tour was one of the casualties of the current coronavirus pandemic, and he was forced to cancel several dates. There is a silver lining to this all, though. Before social distancing became the norm, the singer-songwriter got a chance to sit down for NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert series in February. The good people at NPR Music saw fit to release the session to brighten our days as we're all stuck inside.
Allen's set consisted mostly of tracks from his recent album Building Balance. However, he kicked things off by reaching back to his 2015 album Radius with the track "American Privilege." The song, a recognition of the privileges that many Americans take for granted every day, was a prescient choice considering our current situation. He then transitioned to a three-song set from Balance, starting off with fan-favorite "Give You Blue." The romantic ballad — which he dedicated to his wife — went over well with the audience, who gave him rousing applause after he was done. He then switched gears to "Brown Eyed Lover" and "Consider Me," each track sounding just as soulful as the recorded versions despite the pared-down musical arrangement.
If the current situation resolves itself, then it looks like Allen Stone will be back on the road to play a few festival dates in The Netherlands and the United States this summer. Just in case Miss Rona wants to stay in the picture a little longer, though, catching him in his element for Tiny Desk is perhaps the next best thing. Find out for yourself when you press play.
