While Nashville, Tennessee is more known for it's country rather than it's rock music, that didn't stop people from packing into the Exit/In to see two highly entertaining rock bands: Graham Colton and Will Hoge. While their names suggest solo artist status, both are actually bands and as a whole have a personality all their own. Graham Colton's style reflects more of their self-described "roots-rock" vibe, while Will Hoge has more of a traditional rock 'n roll flare.

The night began with Graham Colton, who were fresh off their first headlining tour. The band opened up to a growing crowd, as the show was sold out before the end of their nine song set. While it was noticeable that many of the people in attendance were there to see Will Hoge and to celebrate the release of their new album, Graham Colton's first song "Jessica" seemed to grab the audience's attention with it's inevitably catchy guitar riff and easy-to-relate-to lyrics. A few songs later came "Morning Light"; one of the newer songs of their set and one which Kevin Griffin from Better Than Ezra helped compose. A few more highlights included "Read Me" (sometimes referred to as "Emilia's Corner") and "Save Me." The guitar in both songs bring to mind some of Tom Petty's musical efforts.

As Graham Colton closed with "Cigarette," several individuals in the polite and lively crowd were singing along, all the while anxiously awaiting the entrance of Will Hoge. There was a considerable break between the performances of the two bands, but it was well worth the wait. The lights darkened and up came Eminem's "Lose Yourself" over the sound system. The rap song foreshadowed the innovative set that was yet to come. Finally, as if on cue, Will Hoge strolled onto the somewhat small stage of the now crowded club. They started the set off with "Second Hand Heart," a song off their new Atlantic Records album Blackbird on a Lonely Wire. It was obvious from the crowd's dynamic reaction that they were glad Will had returned home to Nashville and the Exit/In to entertain his friends, family and fans.

Throughout the night the band alternately played songs off each of their two albums. Some of the more crowd-pleasing tunes included from Carousel were "Let Me Be Lonely", "Rock And Roll Star", and "Your Fool." All but two songs from Blackbird on a Lonely Wire were performed. The differences in song production, which is evident on the albums, was not as apparent when the music was performed live. All of the songs on this magnetic evening were performed with attitude and were full of energy ... as were the guys of Will Hoge.

Some of the more dedicated fans may have noticed that the drummer was not Kirk Yoquelet but rather new band member Keith Brogdon. However, it was not obvious to everyone in the audience because Keith's talents fused well with the other members of the band. He seemed very comfortable playing with them, which one could detect from the fact he played with his shirt off for the majority of the concert. From my position standing on the bottom rungs of two stools in the back of the Exit/In, I got to see how the crowd reacted to some more of the onstage antics played out that night. At one point someone threw up a pair of granny-style underwear and a pink, feather bra. Will proceeded to put both articles of clothing on only to find out, to the crowd's dismay, that the bra did not fit. Also, during the song "She Don't Care," the band broke out into Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and helped make an appealing song even more so.

The fourteen song set ended with Will performing a solo acoustic version of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?". Two encores soon followed. The first encore included a fantastic rendition of Oasis' "Wonderwall", while the second encore put an end to a very entertaining evening with "TV Set," one of the most commanding songs of the night. The band played far past the scheduled ending time of midnight but much of the crowd did not seem to mind. All in all, the night was a success with both bands winning over new fans and further impressing the earlier ones. If you are looking for a fun, riveting, musical event, you should definitely check out Will Hoge and Graham Colton.