Jerry Joseph kicks off Heathens Homecoming Friday, free, at the Show Bar

Portland's Jerry Joseph leads the free pre-party showcase at Revolution Hall's Show Bar next Friday at 5 p.m., before night two of the Drive-By Truckers' Heathens Homecoming West.

The best seat at Heathens Homecoming West next Friday might not cost anything. At 5 p.m., hours before the main room fills for night two, Jerry Joseph steps onto the stage at Revolution Hall's Show Bar for the free pre-party.

Jerry Joseph headlines the Heathens Homecoming West 2026 Pre-Party Showcase at the Show Bar at Revolution Hall on Friday, Nov. 13, with Drunken Prayer and The Snarlin' Yarns. According to Revolution Hall's Show Bar listing, doors are at 4 p.m., the music starts at 5, admission is free, and it's 21 and over. Reservations are through eTix.

The pre-party belongs to a bigger weekend. The Drive-By Truckers are bringing their HeAthens Homecoming west to Revolution Hall for three nights. The venue's calendar has night one on Thursday, Nov. 12, with The Minus 5, and night two on Friday with Møtrik. Around the shows: a free night-one after-party Thursday, Patterson Hood in conversation with Willy Vlautin on Saturday, and a free happy hour before night three.

Jerry Joseph opening the Friday is no accident of scheduling. In 2020 he made *The Beautiful Madness* for Décor Records with Patterson Hood producing and the Drive-By Truckers as his backing band, a record that drew wide praise. He followed it in 2023 with *Baby, You're The Man Who Would Be King*, recorded in New York with Eric "Roscoe" Ambel producing. His Apple Music page shows a new single from this June 26, so he's still writing.

In a weekend built around the Truckers, the guy they once backed gets the first word on Friday.

He's also as close to a Portland institution as a touring songwriter gets. Born in Los Angeles, Joseph has lived in Portland for years and is in the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Our records have him playing the Portland market 41 times, more than anywhere else, and he's spent decades taking his songs to rooms well beyond Oregon, including a show at London's Water Rats.

The setting suits him. Revolution Hall fills the old Washington High School building at 1300 SE Stark, and the Show Bar is the venue's smaller, looser room. On a homecoming weekend that means people with passes to the big shows will be coming through. A 4 p.m. door and a 5 p.m. downbeat also mean anyone can catch a full set and still get dinner before the main room opens.

Drunken Prayer and The Snarlin' Yarns round out the showcase, and both are worth getting there early for. Bring an ID, bring a friend who's never seen him, and see who shows up from the weekend's bigger bills. Admission is free; staying put once he starts playing is up to you.

Sources: Jerry Joseph at Show Bar at Revolution Hall (JamBase) (jambase.com); Revolution Hall: Show Bar (revolutionhall.com); Revolution Hall calendar (revolutionhall.com); eTix: Heathens Homecoming West 2026 Preparty Showcase (free) (etix.com); Drive-By Truckers official site (drivebytruckers.com); Silver PR: Jerry Joseph announces The Beautiful Madness (produced by Patterson Hood) (silverpr.co.uk); Klof Mag: Jerry Joseph announces new album The Beautiful Madness (klofmag.com); Apple Music: Jerry Joseph (music.apple.com); Green Note: Jerry Joseph (bio) (greennote.co.uk); Charleston Pour House: Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons (charlestonpourhouse.com); Jerry Joseph - Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)