Evan Honer’s success throughout his tours in and near Pittsburgh should be studied. The first time I ever heard his name was at a Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners show in Cleveland in 2023 when he was the opener with fellow musician Julia DiGrazia. Afterwards, I saw him perform his second headlining show in Pittsburgh at Spirit Hall.  It was incredible years later to walk in to his show at Mr. Smalls in March 2026 and see the venue packed, prepared to see a performance of songs that have become oh so familiar to unreleased gems. 

Starting off the night strong with bringing his entire band, a group of five men in total, to sing a cappella style the title track to Honer’s 2025 album, “Everything I Wanted.” You could tell the crowd was mesmerized from the slow but powerful start to a impactful evening. Some parts of Honer’s set have not changed since the last time I saw him like when he talked about his brother with schizophrenia and plays his song with the fitting title, “Brother.”  Hearing his heartfelt dialogue of how much his brother means to him and the backstory of the song was just as touching this time as it was the last. It was evident that Honer kept his spirit the same, though he was performing for many more and had several more musicians with him on stage. The music he chooses to make, even into his newest album, carry a certain soul with him that he promptly delivers as soon as he steps on the stage.  He channels the energy of artist he admires, especially when playing their music. Like when he covers “Jersey Giant” by Tyler Childers, he’s able to honor the spirit of the song.

Something I have never seen before that Honer did was he brought his dog, Leroy, on stage. He even had little doggy headphones to protect him on tour.  This was one of the many moments during the set that genuinely surprised me.  Another gem was towards the end when they covered “Sugar, We’re Going Down” during the encore. This paired with Honer’s classic ending song, “idk shit about cars,” made for a buzz-worthy end to the night at Mr. Smalls for about successful spring tour.