The first time I saw Nashville-based singer Stephen Day, he performed to a small crowd in the back of a Milwaukee cafe. The second time I saw him was Wednesday at 7th St. Entry performing to a sold-out crowd, kicking off his Gold Mine tour.

Gold Mine is also the title of his fourth album and its title track. The song “Gold Mine” came later while Day wrote for the record, and after deciding what songs would be on the album, it was decided that it would also be the album’s name. 

In an interview, Day said he felt like the song was a guiding light for the rest of the record. 

The first time I saw Day perform, he went out of his way to create an intimate experience with the audience and show his appreciation. The show at 7th St. was no different. 

Day previously performed at 7th St., and said he was glad to be back again, not only because the show sold out, but because the room size allows for closeness between the performers and the audience. 

“So, especially in Minneapolis, like that room,” Day said. “It doesn’t get any more intimate than that.”

While 7th St. was packed and I was towards the back of the venue, Day made everyone feel connected. After warming up the audience with “Kinda Cowgirl” and “Gold Mine,” Day engaged the audience in some friendly competition during the chorus of “On Top of the World.” 

He split the room, told the sides to face each other, gave them each a pitch to sing and had them sing with each other to see who could be louder. Ultimately, there was no winner. 

While I didn’t get a clear view of the stage, the glimpses of the band always featured a “stank face,” something I found myself doing as well throughout the night when I started to feel the music. 

For those not familiar, a “stank face” happens when a part of a song is so good, so powerful your face contorts as if something smells bad. 

“I think we’re going to be playing really amazing music together and bringing these songs into a new life,” Day said. 

While many of the songs sounded similar to their recordings, there was always something added to take the performance to another level. 

There were a few unexpectedly spiritual-like moments throughout the show. The entire night I bounced between chuckling at the on-stage antics and feeling as if I was going to cry. 

During “If You Were the Rain,” the keys solo featured some improv and added a Southern gospel feel to the song that tugged at my heartstrings a bit. 

After performing “Oscar,” Day voiced his appreciation towards the audience, sat on the stage and played guitar while only the keys played. It was almost as if he was saying thank you to everyone for being there. 

The sentimental moment was followed by the entire band gathering around one microphone to play “Drive South.” Obviously, the whole keyboard couldn’t be brought to the microphone, so a miniature keyboard was used instead. The drummer used a small maraca-type shaker for the percussion. 

This silly moment was followed by Day acoustically playing “Autumn’s Song” by himself and a conversation with the audience about his nicknames. At this point, he also took requests from the audience and struggled through the lyrics of “Promised Land” as a result. 

I could go on and on about each moment I appreciated, but I don’t think I could do justice to the performance or my feelings towards it. The only thing that could have made this better than the first time I saw Day perform was getting a picture like I did last time.