When you see an artist live multiple times, two things can happen.
The first is that the artist gets comfortable, doesn’t change things up as much, and you end up just seeing the same show multiple times over the course of a few years. The other is that an artist can keep things unpredictable and no matter how many times you see them, they’ll keep you on your toes with changing setlists and different stage shows.
Koe Wetzel’s show Saturday night at Concrete Street Amphitheater was very much of the second category. This was my third time seeing Koe and every time I’ve seen him, he’s stepped his game up by a large margin.
The last time I saw Koe was this past October at Cook’s Garage. Even then I was impressed by his stage production. He had pyro, fog cannons, and LED screens behind him with some really cool visuals. I don’t know if that tour allowed him to have a bigger show budget but his stage show has only gotten more elaborate. He had double the amount of pyro, double the amount of fog cannons, fireworks behind him, lasers, even more LED screens behind him and his own screens on the sides of the stage for the people in the back. Which, I do need to mention, there were a lot of people at this show. The show sold out the day of and while I can’t find an exact number, Koe made mention that there were nearly 10,000 people in the amphitheater. It’s also a testament to how far he’s come in terms of popularity saying, “The first time we played here was at the Executive Surf Club. There were about 25 people there, for y’all to sell this place out tonight means a whole lot man.”
But of course, it would be dumb to continue writing and not talk about his performance at all because that’s what everyone paid to see. This might be a bit controversial but I’ve told a few people before that I’ve honestly never been the biggest fan of Koe’s studio material. He has a handful of songs I really like and he can accidentally write a great hook every now and then but most of his songs are overproduced, overblown, and kind of lifeless at times. However, I still will never skip the chance to see him live because him and his band are just that good of performers.
Last October, Koe opened his show by letting his band start the song Sundy or Mundy, walking out on stage, grabbing his guitar, slamming the guitar stand down, then starting the song. That entrance compared to Saturday’s opener, Fuss & Fight, was about as grand as the entrance I just made walking into H-E-B. Fireworks popped behind him, pyro and fog cannons were used at every chance, and Koe and his band were firing on all cylinders.
The opening one-two punch of Fuss & Fight and Something to Talk About is about as great of an opening to a show as you could ask for and sent the crowd into a frenzy, Koe had the audience in the palm of his hand. For the next 90 minutes, Koe and his band took no prisoners and delivered the best show I’ve seen him perform yet. The setlist relied mainly on his last album Sellout but he did promise a new album was on the way before his performance of his latest single April Showers.
Some of the biggest highlights for me were the performances of the songs Austin, Forever, and especially Kuntry & Wistern with it’s always fantastic “LA LA LA LA LAAAAAAAAA” chant right before the last chorus. Kuntry & Wistern is an example of one of those songs that I’ve never really enjoyed but it is one of my favorite songs to watch him play live.
Koe’s set ended with the first song I heard from him, February 28, 2016. It’s a party song and is possibly the best intro to Koe’s music to anyone who hasn’t listened. The song live is always incredible and is usually met by the loudest crowd response. As the song finished, Koe had some simple requests for the crowd, saying to get home safe, go to church in the morning, and “don’t smoke crack cocaine!” He made a quick pit stop as he walked off stage to grab drummer Jared Easterling’s crash cymbal and rack tom and slam them both down on the stage from the drum riser.
The show was opened by Ben Burgess and Dylan Wheeler. Burgess is on a similar path as Chris Stapleton was when he first broke out. He’s been a writer in Nashville for the past decade, mainly writing for Morgan Wallen that has now decided to start a solo career. This was only his second show apparently but he already has the stage presence of a seasoned veteran. It’s always awkward seeing an artist who doesn’t have much material out but of the stuff he played, both released and unreleased, I could see him moving up the Nashville ranks pretty quickly.
Dylan Wheeler, on the other hand, needs to be a star and if he can just get a few songs with some decent airplay and streams, he could be huge. Wheeler has an incredible voice and incredible stage presence. He opened for Koe at the show I saw in October and his performance Saturday night was a gigantic improvement. He was much more confident and it also helped that I knew a lot more of his material this time around.
Oh, one last thing I want to address. Stop trying to tell me that Koe Wetzel makes country music. Koe is a rock star and if you don’t believe me, I encourage you to see him live. He’ll erase any doubt in your mind.
Koe Wetzel is touring through the rest of the year including his return to Lubbock on October 7 at Cook’s Garage. Tickets are on sale NOW! Dylan Wheeler will also be returning to Lubbock on August 19 to open for Kolby Cooper and Pecos & the Rooftops, also at Cook’s Garage. Tickets for that show are also on sale NOW!
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