It was no ordinary Saturday night as Nashville’s Will Hoge visited Blackbird with his band. It was both Halloween and All Saints’ Day—falling on the same date this year, though not to be confused. Right next door at Katalin, Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg was tearing it up, while in Katalin’s back room pub, Fat Lizzy belted out Thin Lizzy covers. High energy all around in a foggy Uppsala. Will Hoge’s gig—my pick for the evening—proved remarkably varied and dynamic.

The show opens with Hoge alone on stage with his acoustic Martin guitar. I am immediately struck by what a fine, powerful voice he possesses. It shines brightest during the quieter numbers and, unfortunately, tends to get slightly buried (strong as it is) when the full band kicks in at full throttle. The lineup tonight is slightly altered from earlier dates on the tour, which wraps up tomorrow at Debaser Nova in Stockholm. Hoge shares that he misses his family and longs for home—perhaps felt a little more acutely this Halloween night after receiving photos of his sons celebrating. Both his regular keyboard player and drummer had to head home early, so they brought in a Belgian guest on keyboards alongside Swedish drummer Filip Olofsson. Both turn in impressive performances despite barely having had time to rehearse with Hoge and his core guitarist and bassist.

Hoge is an accomplished songwriter with immense range across his deep catalog. His debut album, Carousel, was released back in 2001. That leaves plenty of material to draw from across a 25-year career spanning fifteen albums. The result at Blackbird is a wonderfully diverse set featuring shifting configurations of musicians throughout the night—ranging from Hoge solo to full-tilt rockers with the entire band. He also delivers a delicate ballad backed solely by the pianist. At another point, Hoge takes a seat behind the piano himself, accompanied on mandolin by his guitarist for a gorgeous rendition of “All the Pretty Horses.” On several of the harder-rocking tracks, the sound stylistically echoes John Mellencamp and, to an extent, Bruce Springsteen. At times, shades of The Allman Brothers Band and Little Feat also come through.

I can’t overstate how fantastic it is to experience an artist of Will Hoge’s caliber in an intimate spot like Blackbird, with great food and drinks in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The concert could have been even stronger had Hoge’s vocals sat slightly higher in the sound mix during the rockier tunes, but overall it was a top-tier gig by an artist who deserves to be far better known among Swedish listeners.