BoDeans brought their 40th anniversary celebration of Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams to the Belly Up in Solana Beach, California on March 5, 2026, and the result was a night rooted in grit, melody, memory, and the kind of road-worn honesty that has kept the band’s music alive for decades. In a venue as intimate and beloved as the Belly Up, BoDeans didn’t need flash or overproduction. They had songs, stories, and a room full of fans ready to travel with them.
From the jump, the band set the tone with “Fadeaway,” a fitting opener that immediately locked the crowd into the emotional and musical pulse of the evening. It was followed by “Ya Gotta Go Crazy” and “Angels,” giving the first stretch of the set a steady, unforced momentum. BoDeans have long lived in that sweet spot between roots rock, Americana, and heartland rock, and those early songs reminded the room why their catalog still carries weight. There is a lived-in quality to this music that can’t be manufactured. It sounds like highways, small towns, hard lessons, and hope that somehow survives all of it.
The first set unfolded with confidence and warmth. “Paradise” and “Hurt By Love” leaned into the band’s emotional core, while “Stay On” and “Dreams” kept the energy moving without sacrificing depth. By the time “My Hometown” arrived, the room felt fully connected — the kind of collective concert experience where the audience is not just watching, but inhabiting the songs. “You Don’t Get Much” and “Only Love” closed the opening set with exactly the kind of reflective, melodic punch that has long defined the BoDeans sound.
The second set opened with “Idaho,” one of those songs that seems to instantly widen the room, making even a packed club feel expansive. From there, the band kept the night rolling with “Good Work,” “Flyaway,” and “Count On Me,” proving again that this was not simply a nostalgia run built around one era. The set felt thoughtfully paced, giving longtime fans the songs they came for while also showing the depth of a catalog that runs far beyond the obvious titles.
One of the strongest stretches of the night came late in the second set, when “Say You Will,” “Still The Night,” and “Texas Ride Song” drove the crowd toward the homestretch with a loose, lived-in power. Then came “Good Things,” which landed exactly the way it should — warmly, familiarly, and with the kind of chorus that turns a venue into a shared memory. The inclusion of “Drift Away,” the Mentor Williams cover, gave the set a soulful turn before BoDeans closed the night with “Closer To Free,” the song that still hits like an open road anthem no matter how many times you’ve heard it.
That closer was the exhale and the release. It brought the room together in the way only a truly enduring song can, with fans singing not out of obligation or nostalgia, but because the moment earned it.
BoDeans at Belly Up wasn’t about reinvention. It was about endurance, craftsmanship, and the quiet power of songs that continue to mean something. In a music world addicted to novelty, there is something almost rebellious about a band showing up with heart, history, and a setlist this strong — and simply letting the music do the work.
BoDeans
Kurt Neumann — guitar, vocals
Stefano Intelisano — keyboards, accordion
James Hertless — bass, harmony vocals
Stephen Belans — drums
BoDeans Setlist:
Set 1:
1. Fadeaway
2. Ya Gotta Go Crazy
3. Angels
4. Paradise
5. Hurt By Love
6. Stay On
7. Dreams
8. My Hometown
9. You Don’t Get Much
10. Only Love
Set 2:
11. Idaho
12. Good Work
13. Flyaway
14. Count On Me
15. Say You Will
16. Still The Night
17. Texas Ride Song
18. Good Things
19. Drift Away (Mentor Williams cover)
20. Closer To Free
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Johnnie Crow is a lifelong music lover. He has photographed artists from every genre at concerts, festivals and cruises all across North America.