HUNTER METTS AT SCHUBA’S TAVERN

Schuba’s Tavern, Chicago, IL | October 30nth, 2025

Written by River Epperson

A sold-out audience packed Schuba’s Tavern on a crisp, autumn Thursday evening to see folk singer-songwriter Hunter Metts. Touring his debut album A Crater Wide, released October 10, 2025, via Position Music, Metts also had support from twenty-year-old indie singer-songwriter Emma Andersen. Metts, whose singing career began in Nashville with a Top 10 finish on American Idol in 2021, came upon online success when his song “Weathervane” went viral earlier this year.

Metts’ heartfelt folk music blended seamlessly with support from Andersen, who combined the forlorn longing of Lizzy McAlpine’s To The Mountains, with the small-town charm that earned Taylor Swift multiple number-one albums. A highlight of the show was a stripped-back performance of Kate Wolf’s 1986 song “Across the Great Divide” by Metts, featuring backing vocals from Andersen and Metts’ entire band, as well as Metts on the Harmonica. On the road, Metts is joined by Jake Koffer (bass), Levi Bennett (drums), and William Ayers (pedal steel/banjo), with Metts playing guitar. During his set, Metts spoke of working tirelessly to create his debut album, joking he had spent more of his first year of marriage with his band than with his wife. Andersen sings and supports herself on guitar.

Fans of folk music, earnest singer-songwriters, and solid live sets will want to catch a night at Hunter Metts’ A Crater Wide tour. Metts performs with a tenacity gained by a year on the road, having completed both a headline European tour and a supporting leg of James Bay’s Up All Night tour earlier this year. Listeners will be left wanting more after hearing Metts smoothly croon heartfelt ballads with a band that makes his music seem just as effortless.