He’s Home: Corbyn Besson Takes the Troubadour and We Are Not Okay

April 2, 2026 Keyali Mikaela

Let me just say this upfront: I was not prepared. I thought I was prepared. I had listened to HEAD FIRST on repeat for weeks. I knew every word to “8 Letters” from approximately 2018. I road-tripped to Los Angeles specifically for this show. And still — not prepared.

Corbyn Besson’s sold-out night at the Troubadour on March 28th was the second and final stop of The (Head) First Tour, and if the venue’s legendary walls could talk, they’d be screaming. The West Hollywood institution has hosted everyone from Elton John to Billie Eilish to Harry Styles in its storied lifetime, and on Saturday night, it officially added Corbyn Besson’s solo debut to that list. The Limelights in attendance made absolutely sure the room knew it.

The Setup

The stage was stripped down in the best possible way — Corbyn, two dancers, and a live drummer. No massive production. No distracting LED walls. Just pure, undeniable talent in a room that holds maybe 500 people who were collectively losing their minds. The intimacy of the Troubadour made the whole thing feel almost sacred, like you were witnessing something that was always supposed to happen, just years in the making.

When the lights dropped, the screams were unreal.

Song by Song (a.k.a. the emotional journey no one warned me about)

“Kiss” opened the set and it was immediately clear this wasn’t a nostalgia show. This was a debut. The choreography hit, the drummer hit, and Corbyn’s stage presence commanded every corner of that room like he’d been doing this solo thing for a decade. He hasn’t. That’s what makes it so insane.

“Tied Up” and “Love Me Better” kept the energy at a fever pitch — a reminder that his HEAD FIRST EP is genuinely, undeniably good. Not “good for a former boy band member” good. Just good good.

“Don’t Run” slowed things down just enough to make you feel something, and then “Panic” — the NOTD collab — had the entire floor moving. There is something about hearing a song you’ve had on a playlist for years performed live that just short-circuits your brain in the best way.

Then came the moment that had the room absolutely unraveling: “Summer” with Jeremih energy all the way through, followed by “No One Else” (the Two Friends collab), and I swear the Troubadour’s walls were vibrating.

“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” — Billie Eilish’s cover, performed by Corbyn solo — was genuinely one of those full-body chills moments. An unexpected choice that somehow made perfect sense. The room went quiet in that reverent way that only happens when something is truly, genuinely beautiful. He made it his own without trying to out-Billie Billie, which is exactly the right call.

Then: the WDW era. And honestly? “8 Letters” and “Fallin’ (Adrenaline)” landed differently than I expected. There was this wave of collective emotion in the crowd — people who had been there since 2018, people who had only just found Corbyn through his solo work, all of us experiencing this together. He didn’t shy away from that chapter of his story. He owned it. The songs that couldn’t be performed under that band’s name for so long finally got to breathe in a room full of people who love him for him.

“Blink” hit hard. “Ruin Me” closed the set and left us completely gutted in the best possible way. I need to lie down. I need water. I need this tour to have more dates.

The Bottom Line

Corbyn Besson just proved, definitively, that he doesn’t need a band name, a legal settlement, or anyone’s permission to be a star. The version of him that took the Troubadour stage on March 28th was confident, magnetic, genre-fluid, and completely unbothered — and the Limelights, the new fans, the photographers, and the skeptics all left that room converts.

The (Head) First Tour may have only been two shows, but this feels like the start of something significant. Mark our words: the next time Corbyn Besson plays LA, he’s going to need a bigger room.

And we will absolutely be there.

SETLIST: Kiss / Tied Up / Love Me Better / Don’t Run / Panic (NOTD, Corbyn Besson) / Summer (Corbyn Besson, Jeremih) / No One Else (Two Friends, Corbyn Besson) / BIRDS OF A FEATHER — Billie Eilish cover (Corbyn solo) / Hypnotized / 8 Letters (Why Don’t We) / Fallin’ (Adrenaline) (Why Don’t We) / Blink / Ruin Me