05/05 @ Cohoes Music Hall

“The harmonies were as close to perfect as I believe I will ever see.”

I don’t watch a lot of reality TV. I think the last time I watched the reality singing competition The Voice was when our very own Sawyer Fredericks made his victorious run back in 2015. Don’t get me wrong; I have no problem with shows like The Voice and American Idol introducing new talent to the world. My only reservation is that what sounds great to me might sound like nails on a chalkboard to you.

So, when I heard the winners of Season 21 of The Voice, a sibling trio known as Girl Named Tom, were making their way to Cohoes Music Hall, I did my due diligence. I listened to a bunch of tracks, watched a few videos on YouTube, and even caught up on their winning season of The Voice. By the time I finished, I understood all the hype surrounding the group and couldn’t wait to see them live for myself.

Girl Named Tom is composed of siblings Bekah, Caleb, and Joshua Liechty, who grew up making music together. The band officially formed in 2019, hitting the road with a self-funded tour and their debut EP, Another World. Since then, they have been on a meteoric rise, highlighted by their 2021 win on The Voice, nationwide headlining tours, performances at the Grand Ole Opry, and sharing the stage with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Kelsea Ballerini, Lady A, and Pentatonix. The group has also released five additional albums, including their latest, Dust to Dust, which dropped in April.

For this tour, the trio is occasionally joined on stage by pedal steel guitarist and show opener Andrew Pauls, whose vocals and playing added another layer to their already rich sound.

The theme of the evening was harmony, the kind that can only be formed by spending a lifetime singing together. During the show, Bekah shared how instruments weren’t allowed during their early upbringing as members of the Mennonite community. In her words, “the only instruments we had were our voices.” Although the trio has since added instruments to their arsenal, their three-part harmony remains their greatest asset.

As expected, the single 105-minute set centered around tracks from Dust to Dust. Several standouts included “Impossible Heights,” “In Your Shoes,” “Roses,” and “The Sun.” One of the evening’s most powerful moments came with their take on Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind,” which the band made entirely their own, leaving the crowd in awe of the chilling vocals.

The siblings also included several songs from their previous release, Wilder Then, including “Lucky One,” “Trophy,” “Waters,” and “Locked In Your Love,” which was cleverly mashed up with Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” Several other covers were sprinkled in, including “Wichita Lineman,” “Landslide,” and an encore performance of Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Helplessly Hoping.” The group also treated listeners to a pair of unreleased singles, “Emma Rose” and “Lonely Planet.”

By the end of the evening, I understood why Girl Named Tom has such a devoted following. More than once, I found myself thinking, “Wow, did I just see that?” Their harmonies were as close to perfect as I believe I will ever hear, but what made the night even more memorable was the honesty and humility each member brought to the stage. Cohoes Music Hall provided the perfect setting for such a pure, stripped-down performance. There was no fog, no fancy lights, no gimmicks: just heartfelt music, sibling chemistry, and three voices that didn’t need anything else.

Girl Named Tom has gained a new fan… also named Tom.