Giovannie and the Hired Guns at The Bottleneck, Lawrence KS (2025-03-29)

GIOVANNIE AND THE HIRED GUNS SETLIST

Cheap Tequila
Quitter
The Great Escape
Another Time
Lips of an Angel (Hinder cover)
Can't Answer Why
Always On Your Mind
Tuba song and Interlude
Overrated
Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo cover)
Pineapple Sunshine
Rooster Tattoo / Friends in Low Places / Enter Sandman (Garth Brooks, Metallica covers)
Pumped Up Kicks (Foster the People cover w/"Sweet Child 'o Mine" – Guns n' Roses cover as bridge)
Ramon Ayala
Change
I Don't Mind

GIOVANNIE AND THE HIRED GUNS TOUR 

Still the greatest metal, red dirt country-tinged, Tejano, alternative punk-pop, Norteño-loving, tuba-blowing band on Earth!

Giovannie and The Hired Guns are back on the road, supporting their new full-length album, Quitter, with a lead single of the same name was back in Lawrence, playing to a near-capacity crowd at the same venue we saw them in, in 2023.

The band’s fan base is still expanding, thanks to good word of mouth, and the Stephenville, TX (SW of Fort Worth) natives remain a strong draw in Kansas, playing four shows in the state on this tour. Between the last time we saw them and between albums, lead singer Giovannie Yanez had some personal difficulties to overcome, but has seemed to have risen 100% back from the ashes to give his all, with a wry smile along the way, in front of a rowdy and ready weekend crowd at The Bottleneck.

Opening the evening and visiting the state for the first time, was singer-songwriter Aaron McBee, (who is also from TX– Mason, which is west of Austin) and who may look like a dyed -in-the-wool rural cowboy; but is in actuality, a sh*t-kicking, no F’s given grunge hard rocker with a Southern drawl. He was signed to Grey Area Music, has a 2023 album (“If I Knew You”) and handful of newer songs out, and is prepping to go into the studio and record again with his guitarist wingman.

In the meantime, his live shows leave nothing held back, with profanity and guitar riffs flying, and a musical style that is much closer to Three Days Grace, Tim Montana, or 3 Doors Down, than to George Strait. His latest single is the no-regrets, “Over You” which is so new it wasn’t played live but proves that McBee and his firing-on-all-cylinders band, have a lot in the tank and plenty more to say.

The crowd filled in closer to the stage even more between acts, as the house was full, beer was flowing (tequila too), and the yell of Yanez exclaiming, “How the f**k you doing, Kansas!?” got everyone instantly in a party mood for Giovannie and the Hired Guns. The opening “Cheap Tequila” found Yanez singing, “Let's all get so out of control!” and the crowd was happy to oblige, letting their collective hair down to groove in the moment without a care.

Guitarists Carlos Villa (lead guitar), Jerrod Flusche (rhythm guitar) traded shredding and riffs all night, starting right away, each often atop small step platforms located near the front of the stage. Those steps put them even more above the crowd for additional bombast and the band as usual, worked with no setlist; playing what comes to mind and mood, like performing on a wire without a net.

The title track single from the new record came early on as well, and the crowd responded even louder to their cover of Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel” (a 00’s OKC band who we thought was all but forgotten, but Giovannie and crew has made that song their own).

After 2020’s “Always on Your Mind”, big man bassist Alex Trejo took off his instrument and strapped on the tuba, to rock the crowd like no orchestra had ever done. The tuba rock continued into 2022’s “Overrated” and then another unlikely cover, this time a Jason DeRulo hit, which was re-arranged and re-imagined with a little Texas ghost pepper and mesquite twang.

Never one to be ashamed of their influences or to play their favorite songs (like the best bar bands do), their hit “Rooster Tattoo” led into a Garth Brooks sing-along on his most famous hit, mixed with in with a little Metallica, G n’ R, and Foster the People, before it reprised back.

Perhaps the loudest response of the night was reserved for their breakthrough song, “Ramon Ayala”, an unlikely hit that is a tribute to the Norteño 79-year-old “King of the Accordion” from Monterrey that most Mexican families grew up listening to.

“I Don’t Mind” from 2022 would be their last song, with Yanez singing “Do you feel me?!” and the crowd cheering back in kind; and then with a quick wave, they were gone, and the show was over. There was no need for an encore after an impactful 90min+ set that culminated in a punk-inspired mic drop moment to end the evening, as-is.

With “Quitter” Giovannie and the Hired Guns are firmly back with a renewed fire, and with a needed tempered sense of celebration following Yanez’ persona becoming more of an increasing problem which required some professional assistance last year. The band seemed refreshed and unabashedly happy to be back playing live to friends and new fans alike, and thankfully pulled it all back together, to be anything but quitters.