Will Varley Brings Song and Story to Jammin Java

Will Varley at Jammin Java in Vienna, Virginia, October 21, 2026. We covered Varley’s tour announcement Will Varley Sets U.S. Tour Dates last June. As the tour comes near it’s end, we caught the show, along with a great pizza, at Vienna Virginia’s Jammin Java, known for its intimate live music setting.

Will Lawrence on stage at Jammin Java

The opening act, Will Lawrence, perched on a stool for his 30-minute set, just him and his guitar. He opened with an acoustic version of “Back From Where I’ve Been” from his 2019 album Slow Dancing on a High Wire. Lawrence comes with his own reputation. Lawrence drums for The Felice Brothers, and his fingerpicked guitar showed a musician who works well beyond the drum kit. So, being teamed up with Varley on this tour shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

The stage was not new to Will Varley, as he played the same venue in 2025. He took to standing at the mic, engaging the audience from the onset of the show — one of his performance hallmarks. He opened with “Whatever’s Left,” then led the room through a four-minute story about his tour: a rental car picked up in Texas, a drive through Montana, speeding tickets in Madison, and running out of gas on a similar route last year outside Nashville.Then he launched into “Different Man,” and the song paused mid-way for a four-minute recollection of a tour with Frank Tanner. That balance of story and song is what makes a Will Varley concert.

Will Varley on stage at Jammin Java

With so many songs in the Varley catalog, a time-bound set forces hard choices, and the crowd seemed in tune with the ones he made. He moved through “Home Before The World Ends”, “End Times” (the collaboration he recorded with Billy Bragg), “The Endlessness and the Space Between”, and “King for a King”. “Seize the Night,” his most-streamed song on Spotify, and the night closed with a new song, “It Feels Like Home.”

Check Out the YouTube Playlist of the Concert

Want to hear more of the night? The concert playlist collects the performances from Jammin Java in one place, so you can follow along with the songs and stories from this show.

Varley finishes his current U.S. tour on October 24 in St. Petersburg FL before heading on a string of dates in the U.K. Browse willvarley.com for details and official merch. And, check out Will Lawrence’s instagram for his music and tour dates — he will be at Catskill, NY November 6th — or buy his latest music at Rooftops in the Centerfold.

A curated pick by Planet Mars Music Editorial Staff and crafted with the help of AI