Andrew and Bora Live in NYC 11/30/2023 – Concert Review

November 30th, 2023 will probably live rent free in my head as one of the best nights of my life.

I had ordered tickets to see Jukebox the Ghost perform the entirety of their Everything Under the Sun album, and just a week before the show, it was announced that Andrew Horowitz (as well as a surprise guest) would be the opening act!

As I arrived in New York City for the big event, a whopping 4 hours away from my home, I shook in excitement as just before the doors opened for us, I watched Andrew, as well as our favorite honorary member Bora Karaca, walk into the building, his first live performance in ~12 years. I entered the venue and I got to witness JTG do a short Q&A and I got to meet them as well.

After I made myself comfortable standing directly behind the sound mixing box, I had a bird’s eye view of all of the impending excitement. The lights dimmed and out walked Jukebox, with Andrew in tow. They did a 20 minute interview for their podcast and before I knew it, it was time to watch Andrew and Bora work their magic.

Time seemed to freeze as I heard the opening chords for Taken For a Ride, and it felt like it was 2006. I was absolutely mesmerized hearing these songs I’ve grown to love be performed for me by the man that wrote them. The high energy of Taken For a Ride, the somberness of Miss Melody, and of course, the absolute bundle of joy that is The Whole World and You.

Hearing The Whole World and You live is something I will never forget, and I was absolutely entranced by every second of it. Andrew even performed some unreleased content that was unnamed. Bora did a fantastic job providing the guitar work that excellently complimented Andrew’s bedazzling keyboard work. The two of them put on an absolute stellar performance that I would watch a thousand more times. The two of them did appear rather nervous, Bora especially, as not a lot of people there knew of Tally Hall, much less of edu. Regardless of this fact, the whole crowd was clapping along to TWWAY and was having the time of their lives. After their set they were met to roaring applause (and my rather boisterous cheering), but the best part of the evening was yet to come.

Towards the back end of the Jukebox the Ghost set, around the last song, it was revealed that Andrew had been watching the performance a mere 10 feet from where I was standing, and in a frenzy to meet my idol I shuffled over to near his seat and waited for my chance to see him. I eventually caught him and his lady friend as they were making their way to leave and I got to have a short talk with him. I was shaking from head to toe and fumbling my words, but my musical inspiration and idol was right in front of me. I made him aware of how much of a fan I was of both Tally Hall and of his solo work (to which he thanked me) and I told him of the work I do with Hidden In The Sand (which he also thanked me for). I presented him with my Pingry EP and a sharpie, and he was very excited to sign it (He showed it to his lady friend, to which he claimed “I haven’t seen one of these in years!”) It was a very happy moment for me.

We closed out the short-lived rendezvous with a picture of the two of us, and a nice hug. Not one of those forced awkward hugs, a genuine hug of appreciation, and it meant the world to me. I honestly had to wait 20 minutes before moving downstairs because I was so anxious. I made my way out (But not before buying edu CDs for all of my friends) and I left.

During my time there I did end up running into my friends Nicky and Jupiter, as well as making a new friend, Melody. I spoke to them about their experiences at this show:
Jupiter said “Andrew was really sweet and really accommodating. He treated me like a regular person. He knew I was a fan but talked to me like a friend. He didn’t make me feel uncomfortable at all even though I was awkward. It was nerve wracking to talk to one of your idols, but he was very sweet.”

It seemed that other people got as lucky as I did to meet Andrew, and I am very grateful for that, it’s not everyday you get to meet someone as kind hearted and genuine as the green tie himself. It also warms my heart that fellow tally hall fans had a blast at the show.

To quote Melody: “It was 10/10. Amazing experience. That was the first and only concert I attended in 2023 and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was great! It was very surreal getting to see not one but 2 Tally Hall members in person, and I had been dreaming of that day forever. It was so crazy to see him walk out on that stage, it was such a magical moment for me.”

Overall, in my experience, the performance they did was truly stellar, and I will never ever stop telling people about it. If you ever get the chance to see Andrew or any Tally Hall member play live, do it. You will not regret it. I look forward to hearing about any and all of Andrew (and Bora’s) next performances, should there be any. If I had to summarize my experience in one sentence, I would say that Andrew and Bora’s stage presence really makes you feel like No One’s Better Than You.

–Ruby “Daisy Fingers” Red