“In a room full of people,” fans look for Sombr. On Oct. 5, Shane Michael Boose, better known as Sombr, successfully sold out his first arena show at 20 years old at The University of Pittsburgh’s very own backyard, the Petersen Events Center. The line from the bottom of Fifth Avenue all the way up Cardiac Hill made it known that fans were eager to see Sombr perform. He performed songs from his debut album, such as “I Barely Know Her,” along with original throwback songs like “caroline,” full of heartache, humor and harmonies, making his show worth attending. 

The singer and songwriter’s tour, titled “The Late Nights & Young Romance Tour,” was upgraded twice, first planned to take place in Spirit Hall, then the Roxian Theater — venues of smaller capacities. Due to an increase in ticket demand, concert-goers were excited to see what Sombr had in store for one of his biggest venues yet.

Sombr’s success has skyrocketed recently — winning a “Best Alternative” VMA award and receiving recognition on Billboard charts, including the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 Songwriters list this week.

Erica Michel, an avid concert photographer from Pittsburgh, took a step aside from the camera to experience his music for the first time.

“I am really excited to see what made him so popular, so fast, specifically to move his show from Spirit Hall all the way up to the Petersen Events Center,” Michel said. 

Sombr’s opening artist, Devon Gabriella, delivered a set of original songs from her debut album, “From the Next Room,” as well as covers. Gabriella had the crowd swaying and shining their flashlights, lighting up the Pete. Soon, those lights dimmed, and the floor rumbled loudly from the bass of his prelude blaring, exciting fans. Sombr soon entered the stage with one of his recent hits “i wish i knew how to quit you.” He performed on a set inspired by his late-night talk show themed music video “12 to 12.” taking time to interview himself in between songs instead of disappearing off the stage. Sombr took a few minutes to gather himself and ask himself questions via voiceover, emulating the talk show theme of his tour.

Megha Mahadev, a senior at Pitt, shared what brought her to the show.

“He came out with singles for the first few years, and now he came out with an album, and it’s pretty good, especially his banger called ‘back to friends,’” Mahadev said. 

During the bridge of “back to friends,” Sombr guided his fans to sing along with him, creating a beautiful melody throughout the room. Sombr sang only the first word of the bridge — the audience took over from there, hyping them up to even get louder as he took in the moment.

Concert goers like Connor Pavlicko, a student at Slippery Rock University, first discovered Sombr while scrolling on his Spotify recommendations page and obsessed over the song “Perfume.” However, Pavlicko most anticipated Sombr’s “Canal Street” as he waited outside from 1 a.m. with his VIP pass.

“Most of Sombr’s discography is three minute songs, but ‘Canal Street’ is five minutes and has a lot of different writing styles and techniques you don’t hear a lot from him as an artist,” Pavlicko said. “He performs it so good live, so it’s one of those songs you are so excited to hear for yourself.” 

Later that night, Pavlicko joined Sombr on stage during one of his talk show segments. This segment was dedicated to calling fans’ exes to determine the root of the relationship’s problem. This show was different, however, as Sombr played matchmaker — getting an old couple back together who both attended the show separately.

“Guys, we bring people together — awesome,” Sombr said. 

Soon after this comedic bit, a symphony of violins played while Sombr made a mess of the fake dressing room on stage, throwing props, clothes and his chair. This fake tantrum led him back to the couch, where he took an emotional stroll down “Canal Street.” 

Sombr shares his vulnerability and heals audiences through his lyrics. After sharing that his first ever song “caroline” had saved his life, he began to sing it on the acoustic guitar. The flashlights from the audience’s phones reflected from his guitar back to the audience, and shone brightly at every subtle movement of his. Sombr shared a wholesome moment of appreciation with his Pittsburgh crowd. 

“I just want to take this in for a second. Sorry, I’ve never played in an arena before. I know it’s a little cliche but I want to say hi to every section.” 

Sombr followed with an inspiring message — how he closes all shows out.

“If you ever feel alone in this world, you’re not. If you’re never feeling loved, someone loves you, because that’s me,” Sombr said. 

“12 to 12.” soon began to ring throughout the arena, giving the audience one last hurrah with a head-spinning performance before his exit. Sombr ended up on the floor, belting out the hit while dancing and leaning on his guitarist, unleashing his true rock n’ roll persona. 

Sombr has been known to visit fans outside of the venue before parting ways. Fans cheered him on with, “Let’s go Sombr!” Sombr performed outside of the Pete, singing “Undressed” on top of a trash can. The Cathedral of Learning shone behind him as he sang. Perhaps, he went a little too hard at the show — he was seen wearing a wrap on his right wrist afterward.

“I’ll remember tonight” wasn’t on the setlist, but Sombr will certainly remember his time in Pittsburgh, as he reminisced shortly after the show with Instagram stories from the stage. He captioned one, “Pittsburgh in an arena. Thank you. I love you. See you next time.” The other lamented, “Miss you already.”