Coca-Cola Roxy
Atlanta, GA
Words & photos by Caro Alexander
It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, GA with a fall chill (finally) in the air and the sunset glowing orange over Cobb Parkway, where fans line up outside the Coca-Cola Roxy for Stephen Sanchez & The Paper Kites. Stephen Sanchez is a Nashville-originated singer-songwriter, whose career took off running in 2021 with his debut EP, What Was, Not Now. In 2022, his song “Until I Found You” exploded onto the charts, thanks to its enormous trend on TikTok and the song became his first Hot 100 hit. Through Sanchez’s music, you’re launched back into the 1950s - 1960s age of music, telling stories about love, loss, and the struggles of a troubadour.
All the way down the block heading up to the Coca-Cola Roxy, I watched fans make their way to the venue in outfits, makeup and hair styles that looked like they were spit straight out of the 60s into 2024 (in the best way possible). Stephen Sanchez fans showed up to show out at his Atlanta performance tonight and nearly stole the show with their looks and their energy alone. I listened to them excitedly chatter on the barricade as I prepared to photograph Sanchez’s set and it even made me more excited for his appearance than I already was. When Sanchez stepped out on stage, the screams were deafening. The love these people had for him radiated through the whole room and he matched it and maybe even doubled the amount of love right back to them.
With a warm introduction by Connie Co, Stephen Sanchez graced the stage with light, energy and charisma that left everyone screaming at the top of their lungs. Some were even brought to tears at the first sight of him. In a stunning white suit, he possessed the 60’s prom-style stage with ballads, rock & roll style and a stage presence one could compare to what people saw in Elvis Presley back in the day. This isn’t a way of saying Sanchez is like “another Elvis,” but he’s his own artist, taking that style and molding it into something better. Something different, but an ode to what music used to be when our parents were younger.
Through the show, there were intermissions by Connie Co, hosting a miniature talk show with Sanchez, answering fan questions while Co sits behind a talk show host’s desk and Sanchez takes a break to chat with him on an orange couch. With a thread of songs, an intermission with Connie Co and another thread of absolute hits, Sanchez finds a new, unique way to stay connected with his audience during a concert. It leaves everyone with fun memories and a wonderful story to tell to friends and family at home the next day. Connie Co even says during the intermission, “Good music has the power to bless your ears, but great music has the power to touch your heart.”
I’ve been to many concerts in my life, but none quite like what I saw in Stephen Sanchez’s show tonight. On a personal level, it resonated so deeply with me. In the past few years, my grandmother passed and she was a massive fan of Elvis Presley. Whenever I visited her, she always had an Elvis record on; Sometimes the same ones on repeat for hours. Seeing Stephen Sanchez tonight, I felt her with me. I believe she would have absolutely adored him as an artist and everything he brings to the table. Sanchez is a truly unique artist in the industry right now; an artist everyone should make themselves familiar with immediately! There’s something in his music and his shows and his big, wide open heart for everyone and I hope they all have the chance to experience it!
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