Will Hoge mixes old and new in 20-song Pour House set

All photos by Kevin Norris

Nashville troubadour Will Hoge returned to the Triangle last night, Aug. 11, for his first headline show in the area since is gruesome scooter accident in 2008, and he was back to his old self, minus the jumps (but hey, quite a large portion of his leg bones are now metal, so we'll cut him some slack).

Hoge took the stage with his band at the Pour House in front of a rowdy and rather noisy crowd and launched it a lengthy set, mixing old songs with ones from his latest album, The Wreckage. The crowd responded to both the old and new songs with enthusiasm.

While classics like "Secondhand Heart" and "Ms. Williams" received boisterous approval, so did "Even If It Breaks My Heart," the first single from The Wreckage. Clearly, Hoge is still gaining new fans five albums into his career.

A few very new, unreleased songs made their way into the set, "No Man's Land," a twangy country ballad and "California" (unconfirmed title), a somber yet catchy tune with the chorus hook "God damn California."

The main set was rounded out with "Highway Wings," the power anthem from The Wreckage followed by the old raucous number "All Night Long." After a short pause, he returned for an encore of road songs, "Pocket Full of Change" and "Highway Wings."

Hoge is still one of the best classic singer songwriters around and his 20-song Pour House proved that. The songs just keep getting better and his live show stronger.

Nashville via Alaska singer songwriter and Hoge's new labelmate on Ryko Records Megan McCormick opened the show with a fiery set of punk rock, three-piece blues tunes. She showcased her powerful voice and speedy and skillful guitar chops during the short set, mostly of songs from her upcoming album Honest Words, out on Aug. 17.

Will Hoge set list
Long Gone
Secondhand Heart
Let Me Be Lonely
Sex, Lies and Money
The Wreckage
Someone Else's Baby
Even If It Breaks Your Heart
Ms. Williams
Just Like Me
Your Fool
Not That Cool
Too Late Too Soon
No Man's Land
Carousel
California
Doesn't Have To Be That Way
Highway Wings
All Night Long
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Pocket Full of Change
Highway's Home






Megan McCormick