Will Hoge at Jammin’ Java with Dave Hause opening on Nov 14
Will Hoge played a full on rock ‘n roll show at Jammin’ Java with Dave Hause opening on both November 14 and 15. I checked out the show on the 14th, which, as it turns out, was also Will’s birthday, complete with ice cream and cake toward the end of the night. Sweet.
The traditional feel of the Jammin’ Java of several years ago (listening room with table seating) yielded for more of an open rock and roll experience that night – the only seats were reserved for those who paid especially for them while the majority were standing room only (apparently the listening room table experience is still available for “An Evening With Shows”). And Will Hoge brought the cacophony.
Opening the night was 3-piece outfit Dave Hause (Dave, his brother Tim also on guitars, and keyboard player Mark Masefield). Dave brought a Bruce Springsteen vibe (maybe this was in part brought to mind because of the recent release of Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere) as he played songs from his new album ...And The Mermaid. On “Gary” he sang of hurt people hurting people in a way that hit home with the crowd. Before “Bible Passages.” he interacted with a young elementary school age girl in the audience whose father had let David know this was her favorite song, and Dave gave her a guitar pic. Later, in the crowd was someone remarking that the line from his song “Cellmates” “You should’ve seen us by thirty-five / Shaking like dogs on the 4th of July / Last leaves on the tree, last buds on the vine / Death wish living, but afraid to die” had a Springsteen-esque delivery but was much darker. All in all a good time. https://www.davehause.com
Will and the band took the stage with a heavy beat and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” pulsing through the speakers, and then launched into a one-two punch of “Saint Agnes” (from the new album) and “Better Off Now (That You’re Gone).” It’s quite possible that the band was using a subharmonic synthesizer, it seemed that heavy at times.
Will’s recent album Sweet Misery is full of songs probing the deep despair we all collectively seem to feel anymore these days. We all seem to feel it, and he played several of the songs from the album during the course of the night: “Sweet Misery,” “Saint Agnes,” “Last American Summer” and “Another Planet.” But many of Will’s songs share the same open frustration, and on this night “Gilded Walls” and “Thoughts and Prayers” among them.
The band exited the stage for a short break during the middle of the show while Will played two songs solo (on both acoustic and electric guitars). The first was “Carousel” and then he played “Thoughts and Prayers.”After this he talked about his time in LA and the record deal at the time for the album Carousel, remarking that was 25 years ago somehow already, and then the awful news that the masters for the album had been burned in the LA fire. So for the 25th anniversary since that album’s release, Will and the band went into the studio and re-recorded it. And while they were at it, they recorded Blackbird on a Lonely Wire as well. After this he played “King of Grey,” which was quite pretty as the band came back to join in.
They then rocked through “Jesus Came to Tennessee,” “Middle America” and several more tunes to the truly excited fans. The complete setlist is just below.
Before the encore, Dave Hause and his brother Tim walked brought out a cake and ice cream to Will. The crowd absolutely loved it, and cheered. There had been an instagram reel of Will saying it would be his birthday that was posted by Jammin’ Java earlier on as an invitation, but for those who missed that it was a fun surprise.
As encores, Will Hoge played “The Highways Home” and “Another Planet.”
Find tour dates near you and more information here on his website: https://www.willhoge.com
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Will Hoge “Tenderhearted Boys”
Setlist for Will Hoge
99 Problems (JAY‐Z song) (playing on stage as the band came out)
Saint Agnes
Better Off Now (That You’re Gone)
Let Me Be Lonely
Even the River Runs out of This Town
Little Bitty Dreams
It’s Just You
Sweet Misery
Gilded Walls
Carousel (Solo)
Thoughts and Prayers (Solo)
King of Grey
Jesus Came to Tennessee
Last American Summer
Middle of America
Little Bit of Rust
Bad Old Days
Encore:
The Highway’s Home
Another Planet
Setlist for Dave Hause
A Knife In The Mud
Look Alive
Hazard Lights
Gary
Bible Passages
Time Will Tell
Cellmates