Joe Nichols At Hobart Arena In Troy, OH
Troy, OH (October 25,2025) – Troy, OH comes to life on Saturday night as classic country sounds fill the air with Joe Nichols and John Foster performing at Hobart Arena.
With an excited crowd eager to see and hear Nichols, they arrive early to the arena and anxiously stand in line outside the doors, waiting for them to open. The scene is all too familiar when attending a country concert in mid-Ohio. You have the gentlemen in their pressed jeans with cowboy boots, and cowboy hats, while the ladies in the house wear their miniskirts with cowgirl boots, and their cowgirl hats.
Although the doors are opening and the crowd rushes inside, there is still time before Nichols takes the stage. Many of the concert goers take advantage of the time and line up at the merchandise tables and concession stands before the show begins.
The evening’s show begins with John Foster taking the stage, as he performs and gets the crowd warmed up for Nichols. The 19-year-old from Louisiana, is best known as the runner-up contestant on the TV series American Idol for season 23 (2025). Foster is a new artist with a love for old school songs from traditionalist country artists that include Alan Jackson with the show opening “Don’t Rock The Jukebox,” Hank Williams Jr. “Mister Weatherman” and “Born To Boogie,” and Elvis Presley “Jailhouse Rock.” Foster makes note that he is often told that he has a very likable face that resembles Dwight Yoakam as he dances with his guitar on the “Fast As You” hit single. The highlight of Foster’s set comes during the Toby Keith tribute of “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” when the spotlights shine on the American flag hanging from the rafters of the arena. Along with all the popular classic covers, Foster also includes some of his own original music like “Just As She Was Leaving,” “Tell That Angel I Love Her,’ and his latest single that was just released, “A Little Goes A Long Way.”
Foster does a great job getting the crowd ready for Nichols as his song selections were spot on for the crowd this evening and had them singing and dancing throughout his set.
John Foster setlist:
- Don’t Rock The Jukebox (Alan Jackson cover) 2. Sounds Like The Radio (Zack Top cover) 3. Check Yes Or No (George Strait cover) 4. Mister Weatherman (Hank Williams Jr.) 5. Born To Boogie (Hank Williams Jr.) 6. Fast As You (Dwight Yoakam cover) 7. Just As She Was Leaving 8. Swingin’ (John Anderson cover) 9. Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley cover) 10. Tell That Angel I Love Her 11. Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (Toby Keith cover) 12. Devil Went Down To Georgia (Charlie Daniels cover) 13. A Little Goes A Long Way
After a short intermission to allow for the stage transformation, Joe Nichols and his band arrive on stage to cheers and screams from their fans. They open the show with Nichols’ 2014 #1 hit “Yeah” and it’s Crickets’ album partner “Hard To Be Cool” before “Crossfire” and some Texas blues in “Ain’t No Crime.” While Joe stands behind his microphone, playing guitar and singing, the ladies in the crowd are dancing, singing along and salivating over his handsome self.
Welcoming and thanking the crowd for coming out and spending their hard-earned dollar buying concert tickets and artist merchandise, Joe comments on his love for traveling through the state. With his love for the state, he has always wanted to participate in the state’s chant. Numerous times throughout the evening he would get a big grin on his face when he would holler out “O – H,” and have the crowd responds back by yelling out “I – O.”
With a career that has stayed afloat and been successful for more than two decades, Joe is still one of the artists from earlier that hasn’t traded in on his true country sound. It is clear when he performs his 2002 debut #1 single “The Impossible” and compares it to his recently released song, “Goodbyes Are Hard To Listen To.” Joe mentions that this latest piece of work is by far his most “country” song ever that he has ever recorded. The song is still in it’s early stages being heard, as country radio these days do trend studies and watch streaming numbers before putting a song on the radio for airplay. The song’s early studies show that the song is bound to be another top hit for Joe.
As a big fan of older country, he adds songs to his show that were classic hits for Merle Haggard with “Big City,” “Footlights,” “Waymore’s Blues” and Waylon Jennings with “Dreaming My Dreams,” “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” and the “Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol’ Boys).” He also included covers by Leon Russell “A Song For You,” Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All,” and Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock The Jukebox.” The latter is performed as a duo when Nichols invites Foster back up on stage to share a song together.
Digging back through his own deep music catalog, Nichols takes everyone back to the beginning and has them sing along to a few of his early hits, “What’s A Guy Gotta Do,” “Brokenheartsville,” and “Gimme That Girl.” With the crowd following along with the country classics, Joe goes out of character and dives into an Alice In Chains rock hit “Rooster.”
As the show is beginning to wind down, Joe changes seasons inside the Hobart Arena back to when it was “Sunny And 75” and concludes with a drum solo before his full band introductions. Climbing up on the tour bus and traveling across the country performing with Joe is The Damn Band Randy’s that include David Northrup (drums), Jeremy Worden (bass guitar), Conway Turley (steel guitar), Reeve Johnson (keyboard and piano), Harry Smith (guitar) and Brian Spradlin (acoustic guitar). The show concludes with Joe’s 2005 signature single, “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.”
The show this evening by Nichols is enjoyed by a crowd of all ages who have come to love Joe’s sound and style. Joe has stayed true to his sound and style without selling out to the industry that has changed more times than albums made by Nichols. Joe’s distinctive voice and sound have proven to still be popular as the arenas continue to sell tickets and fans fill venues to hear him sing his songs. To hear more of his music or buy concert tickets to a future show, click on the links below to follow along with Joe Nichols, John Foster or Hobart Arena.
Joe Nichols setlist:
- Yeah 2. Hard To Be Cool 3. Crossfire 4. Ain’t No Crime 5. The Impossible 6. Three Little Birds (Bob Marley cover) 7. Good Day For A Living 8. Goodbyes Are Hard To Listen To 9. Big City (Merle Haggard cover) 10. Footlights (Merle Haggard cover) 11. Waymore’s Blues (Waylon Jennings cover) 12. Dreaming My Dreams (Waylon Jennings cover) 13. Are You Sure Hank Did It This Way (Waylon Jennings cover) 14. Size Matters 15. Theme From ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’ (Good Ol’ Boys) (Waylon Jennings cover) 16. I Like Big Butts (Sir Mix-A-Lot cover) 17. A Song For You (Leon Russell cover) 18. I’ll Wait For You 19. The Shape I’m In 20. Don’t Rock The Jukebox (Alan Jackson cover) w/John Foster 21. She Only Smokes When She Drinks 22. When You Say Nothing At All (Keith Whitley cover) 23. What’s A Guy Gotta Do 24. Brokenheartsville 25. Gimme That Girl 26. Rooster / A Country Boy Can Survive (Alice In Chains cover / Hank Williams Jr. cover) 27. Sunny And 75 / Band Introductions 28. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off
Words by: Leslie Reasoner
Photos by: John Reasoner
Joe Nichols
John Foster
Hobart Arena