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06/05/2015 Will Hoge, Ashton Hollow (Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works)
By Eric | June 6, 2015 3:44 pm
It had been seven long years since Tiffany and I had seen Will Hoge last, so it goes without saying that both of us were excited for this show. While I’d been to Buffalo Iron Works a couple of times just to hang out, I’d never been there for a proper show (seeing a Pearl Jam cover band after the PJ show notwithstanding!). It turned out to be a fantastic small venue. Tiff and I managed to get a “front row” table in the small balcony they have directly above the soundboard. It was a good thing we did, because we were able to sit from the time we arrived at 8:30, all the way through the openers set from 9-10, and through most of Will’s set also.
The openers were Ashton Hollow, and they were what I’d call the prototypical modern country band. A hint of rock, a lot of twang, and every song mentioning whiskey at least twice. They sounded fine, but their hour was way more than enough for our tastes. During set change we found out we were surrounded in the balcony by fellow Will Hoge die-hards, and Rochester natives at that!
The wait was well worth it, however, as Will Hoge came on and proceeded to rock and roll us through a nearly two hour, 23 song set filled with equal parts new songs, old favorites, and some deep cuts spanning his entire catalog. This was our fourth time seeing Will together (Tiff’s 5th), and the first we’d seen him headline, so we couldn’t have been more pleased with the lengthy set, and the song selection alike. A shocking 4 songs from Carousel (including the title track), combined with some of our favorites (Dirty Little War, Goddamn California) curried favor with the die-hards in attendance, and of the 100-125 people in the crowd, there were more than a few of us to be sure. Will’s voice was on point all night long, and his band sounded great. They literally saved the best for last, however, as the encore started out with Last Thing I Needed, followed by a fan request for Sex, Lies & Money. For the final song though, Will and the band brought out acoustic guitars and a single drum into the crowd, directly in the middle of the floor, and sang The Highway’s Home amongst the people, tacking on a bit of Hank William’s “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” at the end. It was an amazing end to an amazing set, and the whole show was well worth the time and effort for us to get there, let alone the bargain $12 ticket price!
Setlist:
Growing Up Around Here
Better Off Now (That You’re Gone)
Guitar or a Gun
She Don’t Care
Carousel
This Time Around
Little Bitty Dreams
Desperate Times
Your Fool
Wait ‘Til Your Daddy Gets Home
Goddamn California
Still Got You on My Mind
Dirty Little War
Strong
Hey Tonight
Better Than You
Bad Old Days
Even If It Breaks Your Heart
Middle Of America
Til I Do It Again
Encore:
The Last Thing I Needed
Sex, Lies and Money
The Highway’s Home / I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (acoustic)
She Don’t Care
This Time Around
Goddamn California
Dirty Little War
Strong
Topics: Concerts | Tags: 2015, Buffalo, Will Hoge | Comments Off on 06/05/2015 Will Hoge, Ashton Hollow (Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Iron Works)
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