It’s been a while since Shawn Mendes has felt this close. He’s standing in the bleachers at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium while upwards of 12,000 people sing along to “Stitches” at the latest stop on his On the Road Again Tour. The unconventional seating arrangement at the venue allows for fans sitting in the surrounding sections to swarm around the singer with ease. There’s a magnetism to the pull.

Mendes only brought his mic stand and acoustic guitar as he made the move from the stage to the stands after a captivating performance of “Mercy.” Throughout the show, the audience rivals their headliner for best vocal delivery of the night. He welcomes it. “There it is,” Mendes says in encouragement when they echo the “Stitches” chorus back to him. “There you are.”

They’ve been waiting f

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