Max McNown at The Troubadour – Live Review

Max McNown, The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA., March 2, 2025

The last time I saw Max McNown, he was touring across the USA in direct support of Blake Rose, with a stop at The Echo in Silver Lake. Even in the midst of short set, those in attendance knew they were witnessing a superstar about to take flight. His next L.A. appearance was scheduled to take place at The Troubadour in January, and it quickly sold out. However, due to the wildfires in the area, Max and his team decided to postpone the date, returning in early March for what would be a show of maximum epic proportions.

The Troubadour was packed to the very rafters when Max took to the stage, looking every bit like a rock star and yet very surprised by the response he was receiving. And the magic of night was on, with Max performing a set culled from his recent Night Driving album, as well as other selections from what is turning into a skyrocketing career in music.

Very much on the country pop rock side of the spectrum, Max delivered a superb set of genre-bending tunes that had a wide amount of crossover appeal. With a husky yet smooth voice that sets the imagination in flight, there was so much warmth and intrigue to be found within Max’s brilliant compositions. One could become lost within the auditory world of Max McNown, and the nearly two-hour show passed like minutes. Selections such as Better Me For You (Brown Eyes), It’s Not Your Fault. and Freezing In November sent the room into a pure sonic bliss with Max and his audience connecting in a glorious way.

One of the many highlights of the show was the debut of his soon to be released single Call Me When You Miss Me – a timeless song destined to be all over the worldwide radio airwaves. A Max McNown show is like experiencing a movie that you become so enraptured with that you plan to revisit it all time and again. The Troubadour is very well known for their iconic shows from the past and present – and you can now add Max McNown to those historic and memorable nights at the legendary venue.

An addendum to this review – a few weeks later on the way home from a show, a very familiar song was playing on a major Los Angeles station in the car. Sounding very familiar, the chorus arrived, and it was Call Me When You Miss Me by Max McNown. The world is beginning to discover what an amazing talent this performer is! Expect to see Max at a much bigger venue the next time he arrives to captivate the City of Angels. And yes, that is me in one of Max McNown’s video saying hello to him at The Echo! Thanks, Max, for taking the time to find it and show it to me on your phone – so very cool!

(Review by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

Max McNown on Instagram