Nine Days turned “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” into one of the defining pop-rock singles of 2000 — it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ranked #34 on Billboard’s list of the greatest songs of that year. More recently, it found a new generation when it appeared in the 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” On September 19, the band brings an acoustic version of that catalog to the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, 25 years into a story that still draws a crowd.
About the Show
John Hampson and Brian Desveaux formed Nine Days in 1994 on Long Island (the band’s name came from how long it took to record their debut album). Their major-label debut, The Madding Crowd (2000, 550 Music/Epic Records), earned gold certification and made “Absolutely” the song of their career. The title was a nod to Thomas Hardy’s novel “Far from the Madding Crowd.” The band went on hiatus in 2001, reconnected in 2014, and released the comeback album Snapshots in 2016. They’re currently working through a touring cycle tied to the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough single, with dates across North America.
Nine Days played this same Mahaiwe stage in March 2026, performing an acoustic duo set as a supporting act. That show was built around Hampson’s banter and song origin stories; he dedicated one song to a fan named Scott who had traveled a long way for the evening, and he walked the crowd through the backstory on “Absolutely”: the song came from relationship tension that broke when he heard her laughing and realized how much he loved her. “I ended up marrying that girl,” he told the room. This September, Nine Days comes back to the Mahaiwe as the headliner.
Venue & Logistics
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center sits on Castle Street in Great Barrington in the southern Berkshires. It’s part of the Hudson Valley coverage area, making it a genuine road trip from most of upstate New York — but the kind with a clear payoff. This show is part of the Mahaiwe’s Indigo Room series and comes with café table seating instead of standard concert rows, which suits a set built around acoustic guitar and story. The show runs 8:00–9:30 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $35 general admission with café table seating. The public on-sale opened July 24. Buy tickets