RECAP: Reverend Horton Heat @ Empire Live, 4/14/2026
Written by Staff on April 16, 2026
By “Chad from Albany” Koenig.
A hodgepodge of Texas sounds came funneling through Empire Live on Tuesday Night (April 14, 2026), when Psychobilly legends Reverend Horton Heat returned to the Capital Region with a blistering set to the rockabilly, country, and punk fans that ventured out on the first humid night of the year.
Dallas’ own Reverend Horton Heat, which features the legendary Jim Heath on his big orange Gretsch, fronting the trio alongside longtime upright bassist and best friend Jimbo Wallace. Drummer Jonathan Jeter has been behind the kit since 2020.
The band started their show with the instrumental “Bullet” before raising the energy into the Psychobilly classic “Baddest of the Bad,” from 1994’s “Liquor in the Front” and into the raucous “Rock and Roll is Now,” from the 2026 album of the same name.
Following that was the uproarious sing-along break-up ballad “Where In The Hell Did You Go With My Toothbrush?” and staples “Galaxy 500” and “Big Red Rocket of Love.”
Much adoration was given to the beloved Jimbo, who, throughout the night, shared humorous banter with Heath, including stopping the aforementioned “Galaxy 500,” and blaming Jimbo for the cease on him being tired. Jimbo was getting irritated and denied Heath’s claim (in kayfabe) and “walked off” the stage later in the night mid-song, bringing an “Odd Couple”-esque sense of humor to their decades-long partnership, and laughs and cheers to those in attendance.
Also in the set was a pair of songs from the previous release, 2023’s “Roots of the Rev,” an atypical covers album in which they recorded songs by artists who inspired them, but that they also had the honor to work with throughout their career. First was Johnny Carroll’s 1957 “Crazy, Crazy Loving,” and later performed 1958’s “Lights Out” by the late Jerry Byrne.
Closing out the set were Heat classics “Psychobilly Freakout” and “The Devil’s Chasing Me,” before returning to the stage for the COVID-era “Gravel Farmer,” in which Heath and Jeter switched on-stage roles. The night ended with the signature “Bales of Cocaine” and a cover of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades,” concluding a night of high-end punk-laced rock & roll.
San Antonio brought us the first band of the night- Tex-Mex/punk band Pinata Protest. Led by accordionist, trumpeter, and singer/songwriter Alvaro Del Norte. This high-energy 4-piece band brought 40 minutes of Latin flair, swaying in between Spanish and English lyrics, tremendous stage presence, and an obvious sense of humor. When Del Norte started mentioning how divided we were as a country, I was concerned that we may have gone down an unnecessary political route, but he brought smiles to everyone when he was referring to those who prefer green salsa or red salsa, and separated us in the crowd by our choice. To my surprise, the green salsa side was larger.
After their electric performance, the Texas roadmap brought us to the city of Austin, where their native son Black Joe Lewis tore through a blistering 40 minute set of Texas blues, along with his crack band, blending a mix of Stevie Ray Vaughan meets Gary Clark Jr. His unique pickless strumming yielded a sound unto himself that turned the steamy Empire Live into a makeshift smoke-filled jazz and blues club.
Tonight’s triple bill was a diverse mix of sounds of the Lone Star State that gave us incredible energy and musicianship. If you missed it, no fear. You will have a chance to see them until their tour ends on May 2nd, with upcoming shows in Worcester, MA, Hampton, NH, South Burlington, VT, and Hartford, CT.
I created the Reverend Horton Heat Setlist that can be found here:
https://www.setlist.fm/
Reverend Horton Heat
Black Joe Lewis
Pinata Protest
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