Noah Kahan defines New England mean, ignites Vermont-New Hampshire debate with Seth Meyers

"Oh god, I'm going to have a bunch of people in flannel yelling at me if I say anything," Kahan said.

Vermont’s Noah Kahan leaned into the New England nostalgia with New Hampshire native Seth Meyers this week, joking about flannels and maple syrup amid a debate over which of their home states are better, as well as their casual distaste for Connecticut.

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter joined Meyers on his late-night show Tuesday ahead of his second sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Between conversations about fame and mental health, Meyers pulled up Kahan’s post on X from 2019, which read “I prolly won’t sell out Madison square garden, or even all the shows on my tour but I’ll keep writing songs for you all for as long as you’ll have me.”

The talk show host also showed a post from September, in which Kahan wrote, “Somebody tell him he’s gonna do it, somebody tell him he’s gonna play the garden,” and featured a photo of the singer’s younger self holding a microphone.

When asked by Meyers if there was a ski lift chair in the background of the photo, Kahan revealed that the moment was captured at Whaleback Mountain in New Hampshire.

“Well, I’m glad you mentioned – we are both New Englanders,” Meyers said. “You’re Vermont and I’m New Hampshire, and you were very cool backstage. Then, you told me that Vermont’s better.”

“Look – oh god, I’m going to have a bunch of people in flannel yelling at me if I say anything,” Kahan said.

“How are you going to be able to tell which one they’re from?” Meyers joked.

“They’re gonna throw syrup on me,” Kahan added.

Are New Englanders actually mean?

Meyers asked Kahan about his lyrics, “I’m mean because I grew up in New England,” in his song “Homesick,” telling the artist, “That really resonated for me. But you’re not mean.”

Kahan, who previously performed music on Meyers’s show in 2019, said he tries to be a kind person, “but I think what’s great about New England is that people are maybe not outwardly nice, but very kind.

“I always say if you get a flat tire, they’ll change your tire for you, but they won’t look you in the eye the entire time,” he continued.

“And that’s what I love about New England. There’s a community there, but they’re not going to give you a big hug,” the artist said, and Meyers agreed.

Reflecting on Kahan’s growth as an artist, the talk show host asked him to share about some of the performances he did earlier in his career “that were maybe in venues that no one aspires to do.”

Kahan revealed that one of his biggest shows when he was in high school took place at a gelato shop.

“They actually paid me in gelato, and I am lactose-intolerant,” the “Stick Season” singer said.

Noah Kahan’s Fenway ‘fit plans

Kahan is set to take the stage Thursday night for the first of two back-to-back sold-out shows at Fenway Park in Boston.

“Madison Square Garden is all well and good, but as a fellow New Englander, you’re playing Fenway Park. I mean, that’s a cathedral, man,” Meyers said.

So, what does Kahan plan to wear to his Fenway Park debut?

“I think I’m going to wear Red Sox-themed overalls,” the singer said, while admitting that his most recent visit to Fenway, when he threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game, did not exactly go as planned.

Still, Kahan has nothing but love for where he grew up.

The overalls will feature area codes from all over New England – “and I’m even including Connecticut in that,” Kahan joked.

“I mean, we don’t count it either in New Hampshire,” Meyers responded.

Kahan and Meyers also discussed Kahan’s collaborations with other artists, the early days of his career, a song he wrote at the age of 8 called “Wednesdays are the Worst Days of My Life,” the mental health resources he had as a child thanks to his parents, and his mental health initiative The Busyhead Project.

Watch Noah Kahan’s interview with Seth Meyers