Riding the highs of a wildly successful year to date, crooning pop artist Stephen Sanchez brought his classic 1950s sound to Phoenix as he blended enchanting, nostalgic vocals with contemporary production and instrumental styles.

With extraordinary vocal talent that channels the very soul of early legends like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, the sea of fans that filled Arizona Financial Theater were blessed with the opportunity to see a star in the making. Embodying his fictional, artistic persona “The Troubadour Sanchez”, the young singer only tightened his grip over the crowd with immersive visuals that notably centered around a television talk show set that filled the majority of the stage. A bright, shining marquee reading “The Connie Co Show” set the scene, joined by a talk show desk and a lounge chair that was clearly designated for the special musical guest that would be headlining the fictional show.

The first inklings of the world-building performance to come were shared just 10 minutes before Sanchez was set to take the stage. An echoing voice filled the room via the speakers, calling attendees back to their seats as “The Connie Co Show [would] begin shortly” thereafter. After a few moments, the wide smile of Connie Co himself shone as he made his way across the stage, cheerfully teasing the crowd as he introduced “the troubadour from Nashville, Tennessee”: Stephen Sanchez. The set kicked off with Sanchez’s passionate rendition of “Evangeline”, the first few words almost being drowned out by the giddy screams of hundreds of fans that had jumped to their feet at the first glimpse of the singer under the spotlight. Feeding off of the overwhelming excitement of the crowd, Sanchez dove into extremely energetic performances of “Only Girl” and “Emotional Vacation”, the latter of which saw him pick up a bright red electric guitar and deliver a frenzied solo.

For those in the crowd, the highlight of the night by far was the cover of Paul Anka’s iconic “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”. As the first few words escaped Sanchez’s lips, he slowly made his way off stage and down into the general admission pit, gliding across the floor as he shook hands, spun a few lucky attendees around, and gently greeted a few others. The performance was a crystal clear reminder of what style Sanchez, both personally and artistically, has chosen to champion within his discography and associated musical universe. His entire presence is entrancing to an endless extent, the sea of fans parting as he made his way out of the pit and up the stairs that lined the seated audience area.

Beyond just his voice, Sanchez himself has a gallant, suave pull to him that makes it impossible to resist being lured into his orbit. While other stars may attach ego to this striking personality trait, the young singer is as genuine, authentic, and self-assured as it gets. This combination is a rare one, a subtle indicator of the vast success he’ll see throughout the rest of his career. Returning to the stage, only after spreading his warmth across the entire theater, Sanchez floated through haunting performances of “The Other Side” and “Hey Girl” before turning the dial up again for a thrilling delivery of “Howling at Wolves”.

One of the foremost aspects of Sanchez’s performance was his vast vocal range, which cannot be downplayed by any means. Despite posting to his Instagram story earlier in the day to apologize for having a tired voice, the singer regularly delivered otherworldly high notes that many other artists could not reach on their best day. Beyond this, the framing of the entire performance within the fictional talk show was incredibly impressive from both a creative and operational point of view, as it also created a built-in break for Sanchez to sit down and catch his breath while making charismatic small talk with Connie Co. No matter the angle you view Sanchez and his artistry from, it’s impossible to see anything aside from the radiant potential of an emerging musical legend that will be fondly remembered and cherished in the decades to come.