A wily night of country with Hardy & Koe Wetzel in Fresno

Hardy’s Jim Bob World Tour made it stop to the Savemart Center in Fresno, California. It being on a Thursday night, the end of the work day may have impacted the crowd getting to the venue on time. That said, to the few fans who did show up early, Stephen Wilson Jr. played a brilliant set.

For those who showed up late, they missed one hell of a performance by the up-and-coming country artist.

The biggest hit right now for the singer-songwriter from southern Indiana is undoubtedly “Year to Be Young 1994”, so to get the chance to hear all his other songs performed live was a treat! This man is very talented and his band sounded very well put together; they were just up there really having a good time. I’m looking forward to an opportunity seeing Wilson Jr. on a bigger stage with a longer set time in the future — I suggest you do the same!

Before Koe Wetzel played, the crowd had filled in a little more, but there were still many noticeable gaps in the arena seating. Despite people still filing in, Koe Wetzel and the Konvicts cranked out three straight hits from the start — “Something to Talk About”, “April Showers”, and “Fuss and Fight”! As Koe continued, a little less energetic than I’ve seen him before but still putting on a good show, his Konvicts were on point right beside him the whole way.

Before you knew it, it was time for the main act.

The crowd was visibly anxious and came alive the minute Hardy stepped onstage. His stage production was huge, which explained why it seemed as if the openers were a bit smashed up front-of-stage. With a high-rise in the back, Hardy ran around for a majority of the beginning of the show, lit up with pyrotechnic flames and smoke columns shooting up to the ceiling. Kicking things off with “Jim Bob”,“ Kill Sh!t Till I Die”, and “Boots”, Hardy put on a hell of a performance. One special treat throughout his set was when Hardy brought back out Stephen Wilson Jr. to help him sing “Fathers Son”; that gave the audience who missed Stephen earlier in the night a chance to witness his talent. Hardy played all the hits that you’d expect to hear, including “Truck Bed”, before leaving the stage for a moment. He then returned for the encore of “Sold Out”, “Gods Country”(a Blake Shelton cover), and, of course, “the mockingbird & the crow”. What a night of great country music!

Photography by Tre Torres

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