Live Review: A Greg Freeman Frenzy in New York City

Greg Freeman knows how to fill space. His studio recordings are scaling and tense, leaving room for riot. On a brisk Thursday at the Bowery Ballroom, Freeman elevated his sound, guiding the crowd through a collection of eclectic barn burners.

Burnover, Freeman’s 2025 sophomore album, invited him to the new alt-rock elite. Hailed as one of the year’s best, Freeman tangled closer with meditative lyrics and open space. His 2022 debut, I Looked Out, enabled the moody and restless side of his work, while Burnover found him itching on the lines of alternative country. 

On stage, Freeman synthesizes both ends of his career for one raucous hootenanny. Backed by an adept band featuring saxophone, pedal steel, and violin among the usual suspects, every rendition is an alternate take on fans’ expectations. His slowest work builds into large exhibitions of grassroots playing, and the rockin’ tracks are drawn out, echoing his still personality. 

The set began with the most fiery and offhanded tracks on Burnover. “Point and Shoot” and “Salesman” acknowledged why Freeman doesn’t play alone. He could certainly handle his own in an acoustic environment; however, his songs deserve a little pepper. In the future, doing a similar tour to MJ Lenderman’s later this year is conceivable, but for now, the only way to perform “Rome, New York” is to make it frenetic.

The sold-out crowd clicked to the new material and found its groove when Freeman broke into his instant classic “Come and Change My Body.” His lyrics are always full of agonizing desire, but this is the track where his yearning is infectious. “Come and drink my heart out // Draw a knife across that scarlet seal // Take a sip, now break the cup you drank from // Underneath your heel.” Falling at the midpoint in the set, the perfect track to sink knee-deep into the rest of his blustery tunes.

In the back half of the show, Freeman banked on longer cuts like “Curtain” and “Gallic Shrug.” No encore, Freeman does it all in a 13-song setlist of longing and relief. The grizzly “Colorado” and jolting “Gulch” roared the audience before the cynical “Palms” closed the show. Greg Freeman is one of alt rock’s vital artists, and his sold-out show at the Bowery is proof. 2025 put him back on the map, and it’s easy to speculate that 2026 will only do more for the Vermont rocker. 

Burnover is available now. Find out more about Greg Freeman, here.