Nightly
Article by: Brittany Ormiston
The house lights dimmed, and a neon pink <3 sign lit up center stage. The indie-pop intro of ‘tv shows’ followed by Jonathan Capeci’s soft, smooth vocals immediately transcended you to another universe. Nightly had arrived at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The band hit the ground running with the sensual track, ‘the feeling.’ Jonathan sent the crowd into a frenzy as he slid his hand down the neck of the guitar at the end of the second verse. The confidence of the band continued to soar to new heights as the set progressed, and the crowd became more invested. The purple iridescent lighting intertwined with the thick fog during ‘TALK’ was visually pleasing, and matched Nightly’s aesthetic perfectly. After fans put their dancing shoes on for ‘shirt,’ they jumped in sync for ‘dirty white chucks’ and double clapped to the beat for the outro. The crowd was locked in for every moment of the show with complete and utter adoration for Nightly.
The band shared the same sentiment, and are always number one fans of their supporters. “We brag about you wherever we go. You’re our favorite,” said Jonathan. Before performing ‘gas station cowboy hats,’ they showed their love by gifting a few decorated cowboy hats to fans in the crowd who were “the most energetic and deserving.” With the dreamy instrumentation guiding the way and the hats being lifted into the air, those fans were certainly on cloud nine. Nightly had a surprise planned with a cover of ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer. They dedicated it to Nashville, and the fans specifically. Jonathan blew kisses to the crowd, and ran over to stage left to kiss the cheek of Joey Beretta (guitarist) to make for a heartwarming moment for all. The fans and Jonathan sang the lyrics of ‘like i do’ back and forth to each other to solidify the strong bond between them. “No one loves you like I do, like I do!” echoed throughout the rafters of the venue.
As Jonathan hugged his guitar, he stepped up to the microphone to give a small speech that would inspire the entire room. “We are three best friends who moved to Nashville with a dream, and now we’re here,” he shared. He went on to say if anyone is working a job to pay the bills while working on their craft on the side, they have been there. If anyone in the audience was an artist and left their record label, they were once in those same shoes. It felt right to wrap up the show with ‘Twenty Something,’ their most streamed song to date and the one they believed in most when others did not have the same vision.
Where do we go from here? Nightly did not want the evening to end just yet. After the show, they performed an acoustic set on the steps of the auditorium with a crowd so large they shut down 5th Avenue. Old and new fans were gathered together to savor one last memory from the most iconic night. It is safe to say we are all still an emotional mess after experiencing Nightly’s one night only at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. “Best show. Best people. Absolute dream night.”
The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN on May 30, 2025
Photos by Everly Ormiston
