Hank Williams Jr. brought all his rowdy friends to Fort Worth last night selling out the world’s largest honky tonk- the iconic Billy Bob’s Texas. He sold out both shows on the 2nd and 3rd. Williams is among an elite group of musicians booked to help Billy Bob’s Texas Commemorate their 40th anniversary the entire month of April. Upcoming anniversary shows include three nights with both Midland and Dwight Yoakam and a five-night run of both Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett.
The country music hall of famer, also known as Bocephus, blazed through his whiskey-soaked hits that included “Born to Boogie”, “A Country Boy Can Survive” and crowd favorite, “Family Tradition”.
photo by Brooks Burris
The set was tight and short with no encore- but didn’t really need one. He paid tribute to artists before him including Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, ZZ Top, and more.
Dressed in all black cowboy attire, Jr. switched between his cool black caps and baseball caps. Williams always has great lines that are often quoted by fans; “You’ve got to dress like an icon.You’ve got to shine like a beacon”, Jr. said at one point.
photo by Brooks Burris
The multi-instrumentalist bounced from electric to acoustic, to keys, and to fiddle. WIlliams jumped on keys for a rousing cover of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”. Many don’t know that he learned to play piano from legends Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis and that he played on ZZ Top’s epic “La Grange”.
Set list Kalaiya (played fiddle) (Hank Sr. cover) Your Cheatin’ Heart (Hank Sr. cover)
All My Rowdy Friends Whiskey Bent and Hellbound
La Grange (ZZ Top cover) Od’d in Denver
Acoustic solo set
Outlaw Women There’s a Tear in My Beer All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down Walk the Line (Johnny Cash cover) A Country Boy Can Survive Born to Boogie Family Tradition
Even though SXSW has been canceled for the first time ever, we wanted to share our recommendations for artists you might have seen in hopes that you will still watch, listen, and love their music. You can also see our ‘101 artists to watch’ list at the bottom of the post.
While SXSW is known for bringing recognition to emerging artists, it also attracts a-list performers. Many of these hugely popular artists will be performing in unusually intimate venues or on the free outdoor stage at Lady Bird Lake. Either way, SXSW is a great way to see these successful bands. (Double check all times and locations on the SXSW app as they may change.)
Milky Chance: This duo of high school friends from Germany are proven hitmakers (“Stolen Dance” and “Flashed Junk Mind”). Meshing an acoustic guitar-driven sound with electric beats, Milky Chance creates a sound that crosses genres, includes infectious hooks, and enjoys wide appeal. (March 19: SXSW Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake, 8:40-9:40 pm)
Soul Asylum: Grammy winning 90’s alt-rock band Soul Asylum is known for their monster hit “Runaway Train”. Still creating music, they have a new single out called “Got It Pretty Good” – – and it is pretty good! (March 20: Performing on the intimate stage at Lambert’s 1:00-1:55 am)
Max Frost: Austin born and raised musician Max Frost may now reside in LA, but he’ll always call Austin home. Check out his high energy pop-dance beats (try “White Lies” and “Adderall”) and we dare you not to dance along. (March 19: SXSW Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake 5:35-6:15 pm)
Walshy Fire: Widely known as a member of Major Lazer, Walshy Fire will be showcasing his solo DJ music at SXSW. The son of a Jamaican Cricket star, Walshy Fire often invokes the sounds of his Caribbean heritage in his music — mixes that will surely have the crowd rocking to his island vibes. (Date and venue TBA)
Glass Animals: Feeling “gooey”? Well, you will after Glass Animals coats you with their dance-heavy electric tunes drenched in “peanut butter vibes”. Experience this four-man UK group in person at their SXSW show at Stubbs. (March 18: Stubbs, 12:30-1:30 am)
Carla Morrison: One of the most popular indie singers in Latin America, she has won two Grammy awards as well as multiple Latin Grammys. She also has cultivated an enormous fanbase that adore her clear, clean pitch-perfect vocals. (March 21: SXSW Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake, 8:10-9:40 pm)
JP Saxe: This Canadian singer-songwriter’s popularity has exploded largely as a result of his newest song “If The World Was Ending” (which features Julia Michael). His goosebump-inducing lyrics are packed with soul touching emotion and feel a lot like a reassuring hug. (March 19: SXSW Outdoor Stage at Lady Bird Lake, 7:35 – 8:15 pm)
Beabadoobee: At only 19 years of age, UK’s Beabadoobee has become an indie-pop sensation. Her light and airy song “Coffee” was a massive overnight success that continued to gain momentum when it was heavily sampled by Canadian musician Powfu and featured on his track “Death Bed”. (March 17: Latitude 30, 11:00:-11:40 pm and March 18, Cedar Street, 1:00-1:50 am)
Vistas: Popular in the UK, this trio of Scotland based musicians is now making major waves in the US with their upbeat indie-pop music. (March 18: Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room, 11:00 – 11:40 pm and March 19: Swan Dive, 10:00-10:40 pm)
This year’s lineup of artists had a great mix from different genres. That included veteran musicians like Brad Paisley, Bush, Sammy Hagar with newer popular artists like Becky G, Morgan Wallen, Jon Pardi, Chris Yong, Aaron Watson, Lauren Alaina, and Carly Pearce.
Check out some of our favorites from the February event, and you can see all our concert photos and reviews on Austin 101.
