In the midst of the bars, clubs, and restaurants on Chippewa Street, the heart of Buffalo’s entertainment district, I finally had the chance to step through the doors of Rec Room. As the Sabres’ first period wrapped up on Rec Room’s television screens, Beeson, an indie pop singer/songwriter hailing from Gilbert, Arizona, walked onstage in a knee-length jean skirt, brown sweater, green barret, and some chunky boots. She just began opening for Matt Kerekes’ US tour, facing hundreds of eyes unaware of her incredible lyricism and creativity, let alone the fact that she grew up in a Mormon household being the only girl of six children. All of this did not matter though, as the hockey chatter immediately halted with the first strum of Jane Beeson’s guitar, an open and airy tuning. She gave the crowd a warm hello, introducing herself and inviting everyone to gather up closer to the stage, immediately creating a warm, cozy atmosphere for her set.

Beeson gave a little introduction to her first song, “Tommy,” which was named after her little brother who came on tour with her last year as a roadie. She laughed that “while he wasn’t the best roadie, he was a fun friend to have alongside her on tour.” As soon as she began the first line “He said, ‘Let’s look for snakes at the rest stop,’” my jaw dropped. Playing her music on repeat in my headphones was one thing, but in person her voice and harmonies were absolutely stunning; I had never heard anything like it before and it was evident from the excited whispers in the crowd that the rest of Rec Room had a mutual feeling. 

Following “Tommy” was my personal favorite song of hers, “Best Case Girl.” She highlights the mixed feelings of growing up and starting a new life in this song, something extremely relatable for me as I am heading to college in the fall. In the chorus when she sings “okay” in the fun melody, it is impossible to not sing along. 

Next, she performed “Everybody’s Baby,” vulnerably discussing how the song is about a friendship breakup during her senior year at Brigham Young University, as well as an unreleased song that she wrote two months ago, saying that Buffalo was only the second audience she has played it for. Additionally, Beeson played her newest release “Luckiest,” which is a fun, sarcastic song about the bare minimum somehow becoming “lucky.” She explained that she received a harmony pedal for Christmas which she played around with during the song, making it sound very ethereal. 

Announcing that she was down to her last two songs of the night, the anticipation of what they would be was high. To my excitement, she played another one of my favorites, “Just For Now,” and gave a shoutout to her roommate whom the song is inspired by: they met years ago at the beach exchanging dreams of wanting to be a pop star and a horseback rider. Wrapping up with a fan favorite, “Keeping Score,” Beeson’s raw, cathartic lyrics echoed through the room. “Keeping Score” is a unique, honest song about leaving the Mormon church and the aftermath and struggles that came with this for her while was studying political science at the time at BYU. The final lyric in the chorus, “‘Til I saw God // They said they’re not keeping score” is so powerful and has an emotional effect that was apparent in the room. 

Walking off stage, everyone in the audience was wowed by Beeson’s incredible set. She walked on without many present knowing who she was but left everyone being a fan, coming up to her afterwards to introduce themselves and say how lucky they feel to have been introduced to such an incredible new artist. 

Be sure to listen to Beeson’s newest single “Luckiest” and follow her on social media to stay in the loop about everything Beeson related!