Dale Watson plays a wonderful show at the Hopmonk Novato in Novato California August 23 2026

On Sunday, August 23, 2026, I headed to Napa, California, to see a movie. I saw the 25th anniversary of The Fast and the Furious on the big screen, and it was impressive, to say the least. From there, I headed out to Novato, California, for an amazing show at the Hopmonk Novato. The show was a KC Turner Presents show featuring the Jenny Kerr band opening for Dale Watson and his Lone Stars. What a show it was.

Jenny Kerr was up first. This country blues musician rocked the house down. Starting with an incredible song involving ducks and ravens, she soon moved into a new song set for release in a couple of weeks called “Ring My Bell”. The next two songs were “The Good Life” and “Head Of Fire,” two incredible songs that nailed the audience. “Itch” was next, and they had the toes tapping and a few people dancing, and the song went on. It was a sight to see the people having so much fun as the band rocked on. They even played an additional lyric that was nice and slow, then brought it up to full speed again. The following song was “I Ain’t Gonna Work No More”, a tremendous song with a lively chorus. It also had a harmonica solo that shredded as she played it, and she played an awesome banjo. At the end of the song, she said goodnight and was off.

Follow Jenny Kerr band members on social media

Jenny Kerr – lead vocals, delta fingerstyle guitar, clawhammer banjo, harmonica, and slide guitar

Phil Milner – acoustic and electric guitar, vocals

James Nash – guitar

Dale Watson and his Lone Stars were up next. He doesn’t really work off of a setlist; he works off requests. So it was a really fun set. Up first was “She Was My Baby”, and that set the tone for what was to come the rest of the night. Next was a commercial for Lone Star beer, the only beer that positively improves your life. Up next was “I Hate These Songs”, a ballad that he played the dickens out of. Next was “Thanks To Tequila”, a crowd favorite, and I am guessing his too. It was a great song for everyone. He followed that song up with “My Baby Makes Me Gravy”, a fun eat-em-up song. Next, he hit us with “Exit 109”, a more upbeat song with a great rhythm section and a mean chorus. From there, he jumped into “A Real Country Song” featuring Don on the pedal steel. What a treat! Next up was a Bob Wills song called “That’s What I Like About the South,” a bouncy tune that had everyone rocking out. After a tequila break, he started “Whiskey or God,” which led to a new song off the new album Unwanted called “Willie, Waylon and Whiskey.” He did his two impersonations during the song, Willie and Waylon, and that got the crowd riled up; he did them so well.

Following that song was “Made In Japan”. The next two songs were “Good Luck ‘N Good Truckin'” and “Never Mend The Broken Spoke,” a song about the Broken Spoke bar that he plays at twice a month. From there he played “South Of Round Rock, Texas,” a fine tune about the small town just north of Austin, Texas. With another tequila break and another Lone Star commercial, they rolled into “England into Texas”. From there, they played the song ” I Lie When I Drink, and I Drink A Lot”. That song could have come out of me several years ago, but it came from him, and it was special. A little bit from the heart, I surmise.

The next songs were “Don’t Let This Honky Tonk Go” off the new album, and the next one he put on was from two albums back, but the latest was from the new album. That song was about bucket seats, called “What Ever Happened To the Cadillac,” an awesome song about an awesome car. There were many things involved in the song, but I like Cadillacs. The next song was “Flowers in Your Hair”. A heartfelt song dedicated to a woman. After another tequila break and the Lone Star theme, they played “Texas Boogie”, a fabulous song about Texas and the boogieing that happens there. From there, they played “Truckstop in La Grange”, a song about the town of La Grange, the DJ he promoted it to, and the troubles he had. It was a wonderful song with a great story.

Following that song up was “Louise Leaves,” followed by “Feelin’ Haggard.” Two incredible songs. Next, he played “Carryin’ On This Way,” a darn fine tune the crowd loved. With that song ending, he was out of beer, but not for long. A young woman brought him another. With the beer being refilled, they started a song by Glen Hansard called “If I Can”. A heartfelt song about a guy who didn’t wake up one morning and the grief everyone felt. A truly wonderful song. From there, they brought it upbeat with “Sad, Drag, Fall,” and that one picked us all up. A tremendously upbeat song that everyone knew and loved. And with that, they took a short break from the stage but came back when the crowd cheered loud enough. The band did a fan favorite that I missed the name of, but it was Zack’s favorite song, and since it was his final night with Dale, they played it. The final song of the night was a revamp of “I Lie When I Drink,” and he did amazing impersonations. He did Waylon, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Conway Twitty, Charlie Pride, George Jones, Dwight Yoakam (He didn’t do that one very well), Merle Haggard, Jerry Reed, Marty Robbins, and Buck Owens. He’s a talented musician and plays to the crowd well. I can’t wait for him to come back around!