Sombr Fills 20,000 Seats in Columbus One Year After 1,700-Seat Show

20,000. That is the number of fans who packed Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Nov. 8 for a performance by sombr. The venue, located at 200 W. Nationwide Blvd., was sold out for the stop on his You Are The Reason Tour. Just one year earlier, on Oct. 3, 2025, the singer had performed in the same city at a much smaller venue with a capacity of only 1,700 people. The shift in scale occurred in roughly 12 months.

The concert began with openers Hannah Jadagu and Dove Cameron. Cameron performed tracks from her album FINAL GIRL, which was released on Nov. 6. Her set included the songs “do the math” and “Boyfriend.” Before sombr took the stage, a video played on the arena’s backdrop screens. The clip showed the artist in a New York City apartment, offering a spoken-word introduction about his relationship with music. He noted that living inside a song can sometimes feel easier than living inside oneself.

Sombr entered to a guitar riff and performed “we never dated.” He wore sunglasses, black nail polish, and black leather pants paired with a mesh shirt. The set moved through “i wish i know how to quit you” and “under the mat.” The latter was the third track he played from his studio album I Barely Know Her, which came out on Aug. 22, 2025. He followed that with “perfume” and “Homewrecker,” encouraging the audience to jump during the chorus.

The mood shifted during a segment focused on “My Body Isn’t Ready,” a track released on June 25. Sombr explained that he wrote the song for people struggling with body image. He told the crowd that standing in front of his fans is the only time he feels comfortable in his own skin. The audience reacted with flashlights and embraces as he performed an orchestral version of the number. He then played “do i ever cross your mind” and “undressed.”

In the lower bowl, sombr allowed the audience to choose between two songs by cheering. The crowd selected “caroline,” a track from his early discography that helped secure his record deal. He then returned to his pop-rock style with “crushing” and “makes me want you.” For the song “would’ve been you,” he sat among the fans in the lower section. The stage screens displayed lyrics including the line, “Somehow I’m the one who needed you.”

The set concluded with “back to friends” and two consecutive performances of “12 to 12.” The second rendition of “12 to 12” drew a more energetic response from the 20,000 attendees. Sombr, who is 21 years old, used the performance to acknowledge his fans’ role in his career. He stated that their happiness is his happiness, closing the show in the same arena where his audience size had grown by nearly 18,000 people in one year.