Nashville, Tennessee - October 30, 2026
If the line stretching down 3rd Avenue is any indication, Nashville is excited about Nightly’s Halloween show. Everyone is dressed (in costume) to impress, each outfit more impressive than the last. The show comes off the back of their second full-length project released this year, THE VOID PART 2, a continuation of their 2025 record, THE VOID. Nashville’s own InColor opens the evening with nearly a full hour of high-energy pop, and dressed in costumes for the occasion, of course.
Nightly takes the stage right before 9 pm. After releasing two albums heavily influenced by Halloween themes and all things that go bump in the night, they are clearly excited to make this a special performance. Before long, they cover Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with frontman Jonathan Capeci, busting out a couple of Jackson’s iconic moves. Every few songs, Capeci stopped and pointed out a costume he found particularly funny or impressive. There’s a Teletubby, a hot dog, Captain Hook, and someone dressed up as the Benadryl they can’t take for fear of the Hat Man. He’s glad that everyone was willing to show up and get into the “Halloween-type vibe” that the band is aiming for.
Though THE VOID PART 2 only just came out, the crowd cannot wait to hear their fresh favorites. “BAD DREAMS” finds the essence of the 80s while keeping all the modernity of their current sound. Filters, synths, and punchy drums work together to transport the audience into an 80s daze. “are you downtown tonight” captures all the wistful yearning the room wants to hear. There’s a sort of catharsis that comes with yelling out brokenhearted dreams with a group of strangers and friends who get it, and everyone tonight gets it.
Nightly isn’t new to music or Nashville, and they want to show their appreciation by playing a little something from every album. Capeci voices his sentimentality for the evening, playing “Twenty Something” off their 2019 EP, Talk You Down, a song that acted as a real building block for the band seven years ago.
Of course, this isn’t a regular show; it’s a Halloween show. So, when Capeci announces that they forgot something and the entire band rushes off stage, everyone is waiting with bated breath. A few moments later, the band returns as characters from Shrek: Jonathan Capeci as Fiona, Joey Beretta as Donkey, and Nicholas Sainato as Shrek himself. The crowd could not be more entertained, grabbing for the costumes when the band throws the pieces into the crowd. The rest of the show flies by as Nightly plays their heaviest hitters with the crowd singing every word right back to them. It’s a one-off show, a special night just for Nashville, and the room thins slowly, concert-goers reluctant to let go of the night.
