Mark Ambor brought his Rockwood Tour to Phoenix, Arizona, on November 6. Playing the Crescent Ballroom downtown, his show was uniquely positioned in an important week in the country. Mark allows his audience to step out of the world and into his indie singer songwriter atmosphere. Rockwood is a location in New York where Mark is from and somewhere he would go to step away. Inspired by Rockwood, the tour creates the ability to take some time to enjoy music with your community and forget about anything going on in your world.
The show was opened by Kenzie, the up and coming pop star. Kenzie has been releasing music since 2017 and has amassed 2.2M monthly Spotify listeners. She released her album Biting My Tongue in 2024 which features deeply personal tunes such as “Anatomy.” Immediately jumping to one of her most listened to songs, the tune features lyrics inspired by her family life. Similar to this song, her entire set is very vulnerable with the audience. Her genuine music and personal lyrics offer the ability to connect with her true self. I think Kenzie leaves everything she has on the stage and her authenticity is admirable. The young star has an exciting future ahead.
Mark comes out to “I hope it all works out,” from his 2024 album “Rockwood.” Mark has been releasing music since 2019 with his first single “Fever,” but his Rockwood album has been what’s thrown him in the spotlight. His tune “Belong Together” from the album has been streamed 546 million times on Spotify, making it the top 25 most streamed songs of all 2024. Mark has a unique blend of indie, pop and overall alternative music. He reminds me personally of an early Noah Kahan. Mark has a personality when he performs, he is an incredibly talented artist but his stage presence is what sets him over the top. Building off of this success, I am excited to see what’s ahead of Mark. Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix has been an early stop on some very long music careers, and could very likely be the same for Mark.
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