Exclusive | I saw Buffalo Traffic Jam live. The crowd sang at the top of their lungs all night

Buffalo Traffic Jam sounds like they’ve been playing live together forever, which makes it hard to believe they released their first EP just two years ago.For those not in the know, frontman Frankie Cassidy and mandolin player/guitarist/sometimes vocalist Nathan Ross met as students at Bozeman’s Montana State University.Now, just a few short years later, their college connection has gone from performing together to becoming the “it” band you’ll want to catch while they’re still playing small rooms.

With Noah Kahan’s Out of the Blue Festival and Stagecoach on their calendar for 2027, we’re starting to believe that already-short window might not last much longer.At the first of their two sold-out nights at New York City’s Irving Plaza, the stage still had a little of that college dorm feel: a simple setup, mismatched rugs and, in the center of it all, two friends playing music together.The room, though, was packed.

Groups of guys and girls threw their arms around each other, swaying and fist-pumping as they sang along.Early in the night, “Comfort in Misery” already had everyone belting out every word.Hearing them live, you understand why people get so into it.

Lead singer Frankie Cassidy’s voice instantly draws you in—raspy and warm, with a weathered quality that makes it hard to believe he’s only 24.Nathan Ross’ guitar and mandolin bring out their folk roots, and their unexpected take on “House of the Rising Sun” fit their voices so well that I’d happily listen to a recorded version on repeat.Their own storytelling is what kept me coming back, though.

“Pictures of You,” “Too Young to Die” and “Buyin’ Dirt,” all from their recently released debut album “Pictures of You”, were some of my favorites to hear live.They put feelings like missing someone or not knowing what comes next into words you want to wail at the top of your lungs.

For how often loneliness comes up in their songs, there was very little isolatio...