Words and Photos by Melissa Buijtendijk
Almost two years after his latest performance in the Netherlands, Joshua Bassett returned to the stage in Amsterdam for two shows of The Golden Years Tour. I had the honor of heading down to Melkweg on January 22nd to photograph and experience the concert. The show was a perfect balance of vibrant energy and genuine emotions.
The talented Thomas Day opened the show. The 22-year-old singer participated in the 15th season of America’s Got Talent and started posting on social media, growing a follower count of almost 7 million on TikTok. His music expresses pure melancholy, with personal lyrics and raw emotions in all his songs. While some of his songs could be classified as ballads, he also sang some up-tempo songs while jumping around the stage with many fans singing along. It should not be forgotten to mention that he has an incredible voice, hitting all the notes in the right spot, and having a slight rasp leading to his voice being very unique. Thomas Day is definitely someone to keep an eye on in the near future as I expect him to keep getting bigger and bigger, conquering even more people’s hearts.
During the 30-minute changeover, the fans’ excitement increased with each passing minute. Right before the lights dimmed, “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction started playing, hyping the crowd up. As soon as the song ended, the band took the stage and the intro to the show started playing. The second Joshua Bassett jumped (yes, literally jumped) on stage, the energy levels in the room immediately raised through the roof. Every single person in the room started dancing and singing the lyrics to the title track, “The Golden Years.”
The setlist was a carefully considered mixture of ballads and energetic tunes, including both older hits and songs from his debut album. During the up-tempo songs, Bassett’s infectious energy resonated through the entire room with the fans dancing and singing along with songs including “Lie Lie Lie,” “Would Ya Tell Me,” and “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes.” During “Smoke Slow,” the singer invited Thomas Day back on stage for a duet. The show ended with “Look How Far You’ve Come,” which was, in my opinion, the perfect song to close the concert. It highlighted the recurring theme throughout the show while ending on a positive and hopeful note.
The recurring theme throughout the show regards mental health. After a short but touching speech about Bassett’s near-death experience, he sang the song “Lifeline.” While fans held up paper hearts with the hand-written words “You’re our lifeline,” the singer got emotional telling the crowd, “Amsterdam, you’re making me cry!” The raw emotions Joshua Bassett conveys in his songs expand beyond his performance as they are deeply felt and expressed by the crowd. During “Mirror,” I caught a glimpse of fans wiping away tears and hugging those around them. Moments like these truly show the beauty and power of music; connecting people, making them feel understood, and allowing them to express their emotions in ways they normally might struggle with.
Something that caught my attention was the way the singer connected with his fans. From making eye contact to holding fans’ hands during the sad songs to walking through the crowd during “Different” while greeting fans. During the upbeat song “Circles,” Bassett invited a fan up on the stage to teach him a line dance. This results in all fans feeling included, seen, and loved by the singer.
Joshua Bassett put on an astounding performance. The name of this tour does it justice as I am sure that the fans will look back on this tour as their golden years. It was an incredibly fun evening with lots of singing, dancing, and some (happy) tears. Even though The Golden Years Tour has ended, I would recommend you to keep an eye out on his upcoming music and shows.
Loudspeaker Collective 