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Knox Gives Detroit His Midwest Best
Fresh off his new album, Knox and his show-stopping opener Emi Grace turned St. Andrew’s Hall into all-night Friday sing-along.
Article Contributed by Rachel Catherine and LJ Portnoy | Photography by LJ Portnoy
Friday night at St. Andrew’s Hall was a perfect end to the week. Knox brought the Midwest Best Tour to Detroit with Emi Grace in tow, and the room was packed front to back. From Emi Grace’s first chord to Knox’s final bow, Detroit showed up loud.
We came into this one from two different places. One of us has been a Knox fan for a while, and the other walked in without hearing a note of his catalog. By the end of the night, we were on the same page.
Emi Grace: Can’t Take Your Eye Off Her
Neither of us knew Emi Grace going in, and that changed fast. She opened with guitar-driven rock that shook the floor. She was backed by a second guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, but she was the one stealing the show. Her riffs were smooth when they needed to be and downright nasty (the good kind) when they didn’t.
On paper, the pairing is a little unexpected: Emi Grace leans rocker-girl alternative, and Knox lives in 2010s-nostalgia pop. In the room, it didn’t matter. The crowd was cheering like crazy, and phones went up all over the floor to capture her set. She didn’t just warm the room up for Knox. She set the tone for the whole night: rock-and-roll attitude, full throttle, start to finish.
If you’re wondering where she came from, so were we. The night after Detroit, she opened for Twenty One Pilots’ massive Ohio show, and after seeing her live, it’s easy to see why they picked her. Think raw, early Paramore-era Hayley Williams, before “Misery Business” made them a household name. Remember her name for 2027 and beyond.
Knox: The Best-Time Kind of Headliner
Before his set, we got a few minutes with Knox for portraits, and he was genuine from start to finish. Moments like that are a reminder that these artists are people just like us, living extraordinary lives. That’s the whole idea behind his new album, My Midwest Best: anyone can get out of the Midwest, and anyone can do this. You just have to go for it.
When Knox and his band took the stage, the crowd roared, and the momentum never dropped. His take on pop-rock is pure fun live. He played like he belonged in a room twice the size, working the stage left, right, and straight up the middle.
We expected him to be behind a guitar all night, but he didn’t hide behind his instrument. He picked it up for select songs and went cordless-mic for the rest, bouncing back and forth with nonstop stage presence. Between songs, he promised Detroit he’d keep doing this for as long as we’ll have him. Based on Friday’s crowd, that’ll be a while.
For the longtime fan among us, the night revealed an even deeper fandom than expected, singing along to nearly every song. For the new listener, the crowd told the story. Couples hung onto each other, and longtime fans sang every word with their friends like their lives depended on it. Even the little ones in attendance were jumping around, making core memories in real time. Both of us walked out with “Long Story Short” stuck in our heads, and it hasn’t left since.
From a photography perspective, we got four songs in the pit instead of the usual three, and the production made every single shot count. The lighting was bright, clean, and so well designed that ISO barely needed a touch all night. That almost never happens, and it made shooting this show seamless.
The Ones to Watch: 2027
If you love pop-rock and high-energy shows, catch the Midwest Best Tour if it comes anywhere near you. Add Knox to your playlist, and get to know Emi Grace now, because they’re both SoundCheck’s artists to watch for 2027.
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