Koe Wetzel has been an absolute fountain of blessings these past few weeks, gifting fans with endless announcements and surprises.
Last weekend marked the 10th anniversary of his now officially recognized (in his hometown of Pittsburg, Texas, of course) February 28th holiday, Koe Wetzel Day. Given his momentous rise over the past decade since the release of this 2016 staple off of his album, Noise Complaint, Wetzel decided to celebrate in a pretty big way.
Beyond two free live shows at his Riot Room bars in Houston and Fort Worth, both unforgettable for fans who attended, he also announced a brand-new 2026 album, The Night Champion, and its accompanying world tour. As well as the surprise, These Are Going Nowehere Mixtape, exclusively found on YouTube.
So far, no official drop date has been announced for his upcoming project, but Wetzel’s been hinting at its forthcoming release since the beginning of the year. Marking his seventh official studio album, this may be an unexpected diversion from his past sounds and beckon a brand new era for the “Sweet Dreams” singer.
In an interview with Lon Helton on the Country Countdown USA earlier this year, in January, he noted, “For me, this batch of songs and this sound that we’ve kind of come together with, it’s awesome. This whole new sound to me has continued, and it’s, I don’t know, we’re really excited about it.”
As for the tour, Wetzel plans to hit 45 stops ranging from shows in Australia to Canada before heading throughout the United States. Gearing up in the land down under on May 3 in Melbourne, the tour will extend through the summer and into the fall, wrapping up on October 30 in Lubbock, Texas. While the overall sound of the setlist remains a mystery, either way it’s bound to be a true Wetzel-party, backed by an impressive lineup of supporting acts, including Shane Smith & The Saints, Ole 60, Wyatt Flores, Corey Kent, Wade Bowen, Bayker Blankenship, Kolby Cooper, and Logan Jahnke.
Despite the heavy load of things for the 33-year-old singer-songwriter to get prepared for over the next few months, he’s still generously blessing our ears by revisiting some of his past tracks. Last night, he posted an intimate acoustic performance straight from his tour bus of Keith Gattis’ 2005 track, “Reconsider.”
Now, as Koe points out in the caption of this YouTube video, “We already put this out on Spotify, so don’t start complaining.” For many, this performance is instantly recognizable from his previous 2024 album,9 Lives. Sitting smack dab in the middle of the tracklist as the eighth song on the 13-track project, Wetzel’s re-recording was originally included as an homage to Gattis, who passed a year before on April 23, 2023.
Recently inducted into the 2026 class of the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside George Strait, Miranda Lambert, and Don Cook, the Texas legend was well known for his songwriting and production prowess, as well as being a killer guitarist. He notably penned some of George Strait’s biggest hits, such as “I Got A Car” and “Let It Go,” as well as several other tracks for artists like Kenny Chesney, Randy Rogers Band, Willie Nelson, and more. In Koe’s words, the “bada** songwriter” was an influential icon, noting, “You might not know his name, but you have 100% heard his work.”
On its own, the song is an absolutely underrated staple in Wetzel’s discography, and the recorded version certainly lends itself well to his grungy sound. However, there’s something so special about the thumping acoustic guitars and Koe’s raw vocals carrying the melody of this heartbroken male regret anthem. If you’re also a sucker for an acoustic performance, this 4-minute cover will either make you appreciate the track even more than you already do or make you a new fan.
Of course, while you’re on the YouTube doom scrolling rabbit hole, if you haven’t already checked out Wetzel’s surprise drop mix tape from last Saturday, February 28, he released 6 new songs from the vault. The exclusive These Are Going Nowhere Mixtape can only be accessed through the link in his bio, so be sure to bookmark it now so you don’t forget about these hidden masterpieces.
Tour Dates:
- May 3 — Melbourne, Vic. Aus. @ Forum Melbourne
- May 5 — Sydney, N.S.W Aus. @ Enmore Theatre
- May 9 — Brisbane, Qld. Aus. @ Fortitude Music Hall
- July 8 — Edmonton, Alb. Can. @ Rogers Place
- July 10 — Penticton, B.C. Can. @ South Okanagan Event Center
- July 11 — Abbotsford, B.C. Can. @ Abbotsford Centre
- July 23 — Nampa, Idaho @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
- July 24 — Stateline, Nev. @ Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic
- July 25 — Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
- July 30 — Airway Heights, Wash. @ Northern Quest Casino
- July 31 — Bend, Ore. @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
- Aug. 1 — Tacoma, Wash. @ Dune Peninsula
- Aug. 6 — Bonner Springs, Kan. @ Azura Amphitheater
- Aug. 7 — Evansville, Ind. @ Ford Center
- Aug. 8 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
- Aug. 12 — New York, N.Y. @ Pier 17
- Aug. 13 — Reading, Pa. @ Santander Arena
- Aug. 14 — Gilford, N.H. @ BankNH Pavilion
- Aug. 19 — Boston, Mass. @ Leader Bank Pavilion
- Aug. 20 — Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
- Aug. 21 — Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Petersen Events Center
- Aug. 26 — Buffalo, N.Y. @ Outer Harbor Live at Terminal B
- Aug. 27 — Cleveland, Ohio @ Wolstein Center
- Aug. 28 — Rochester Hills, Mich. @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
- Sept. 3 — Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
- Sept. 4 — Baton Rouge, La. @ Raising Cane’s River Center
- Sept. 5 — Bossier City, La. @ Brookshire Grocery Arena
- Sept. 10 — Knoxville, Tenn. @ Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
- Sept. 11 — Greensboro, N.C. @ First Horizon Coliseum
- Sept. 12 — Wilmington, N.C. @ Live Oak Bank Pavilion
- Sept. 17 — Alpharetta, Ga. @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
- Sept. 18 — Columbia, S.C. @ Colonial Life Arena
- Sept. 19 — Richmond, Va. @ Virginia Credit Union LIVE!
- Sept. 24 — Pikeville, Ky. @ Appalachian Wireless Arena
- Sept. 25 — Huntsville, Ala. @ The Orion Amphitheater
- Sept. 26 — Brandon, Miss. @ Brandon Amphitheater
- Sept. 30 — Rogers, Ark. @ The Walmart AMP
- Oct. 1 — North Little Rock, Ark. @ Simmons Bank Arena
- Oct. 2 — Tulsa, Okla. @ BOK Center
- Oct. 3 — Wichita, Kan. @ INTRUST Bank Arena
- Oct. 8 — Chicago, Ill. @ Salt Shed Fairgrounds
- Oct. 9 — Fishers, Ind. @ Fishers Event Center
- Oct. 10 — Milwaukee, Wis. @ Fiserv Forum
- Oct. 28 — Morrison, Colo. @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- Oct. 30 — Lubbock, Texas @ Cook’s Garage