The Retrograde warms up the House of Blues before Jet delivers a career-spanning night of riffs, swagger and Australian rock ’n’ roll attitude

    Saturday night, September 12, at the House of Blues Houston belonged to rock ’n’ roll. With Florida-based rockers The Retrograde opening the evening and Australian rock veterans Jet headlining, the packed room was treated to a night that connected a young band carrying classic rock influences into a new generation with one of Australia’s most successful rock exports of the 2000s.

    The pairing made perfect sense. The Retrograde arrived with the enthusiasm and rawness of a band still carving out its identity, while Jet demonstrated why songs written more than two decades ago can still sound immediate when performed by musicians who know exactly how much attitude and volume they require.

The Retrograde: Young Rockers Make Their Mark

    The Retrograde opened the night with a shot of youthful, guitar-driven energy, immediately setting the tone for what was to come. While the band may not have been from Houston, they quickly made themselves at home inside the House of Blues, delivering a set that showed why they were a fitting choice to share the stage with Jet. Their sound draws from the classic rock foundation that has influenced generations of musicians, but there was a freshness and enthusiasm to their performance that kept it from feeling like a trip backward.

    At the center of the band was Joe Fox, handling lead vocals and lead guitar, while Cade Pickering provided guitar and rhythm guitar. Behind them, Josiah Pye anchored the songs on bass and Carson Degner supplied the driving force on drums and percussion. Together, the four-piece created the kind of full, guitar-heavy sound that made it easy to understand why they were chosen to open for Jet. The group has been building momentum through a steady stream of releases, with songs such as “Dirty Daisy,” “I Need a Little,” “If 6 Was 4” and “Olivia” showcasing the band's blend of classic influences and youthful energy.

    The opening portion of the set included “Boulder Dash” and “Dirty Daisy,” giving the Houston audience an early taste of the band's sound. Fox's vocals and lead guitar remained at the center of the performance, while Pickering's rhythm work provided the foundation for Pye and Degner to keep everything moving with a tight, driving pulse. Rather than simply functioning as background music before the headliner, The Retrograde played with the confidence of a band determined to make the most of the opportunity.

    That confidence paid off in “I Need a Little,” when Luis from Jet joined the band on keyboards. Luis remained onstage as the performance transitioned into the next song, setting up another unexpected collaboration.

    Before launching into The Beatles' “Oh Darling,” Jet frontman Nic Cester joined The Retrograde onstage. Cester explained that he had heard the band performing the song during soundcheck and told them he wanted to sing it with them. With Luis still onstage on keyboards, Cester stepped in to share vocals with the band, turning what might have been an ordinary cover into one of the evening's most memorable moments.

“What started with Luis joining The Retrograde on keyboards became an unexpected Jet collaboration when Nic Cester joined the band for ‘Oh Darling.’”

    Fox and Cester shared the vocal spotlight while Pickering, Pye and Degner kept the band locked into the song, with Luis adding the keyboard part. It was the kind of moment that cannot really be manufactured - the headliner hears an opening band's performance during soundcheck, likes what he hears and decides he wants to be part of it. The Retrograde continued with “If 6 Was 4” and “Olivia,” finishing their set having established themselves as much more than a placeholder between the doors opening and Jet taking the stage.

The performance demonstrated why The Retrograde was a fitting choice for the tour. Their music is rooted in the guitar-driven rock tradition that Jet themselves helped carry into the mainstream, but Fox, Pickering, Pye and Degner delivered it with the energy of musicians looking toward the future rather than simply recreating the past.

Jet: Two Decades of Rock ’n’ Roll Still Hit Hard

    When the lights went down and Jet took the stage, the atmosphere inside the House of Blues changed instantly.

    Formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 2001 by brothers Nic and Chris Cester, guitarist Cameron Muncey and bassist Mark Wilson, Jet exploded onto the international scene with the 2003 debut album Get Born. The record became a worldwide success, selling millions of copies and producing such enduring songs as “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “Cold Hard Bitch” and “Look What You've Done.” The band went on to release Shine On in 2006 and Shaka Rock in 2009 before initially calling it quits in 2012. After subsequent reunions, Jet returned as a full-time band in 2023 and were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame that same year.

   The current lineup brings together three founding members - Nic Cester on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Cameron Muncey on lead guitar and vocals and Mark Wilson on bass - with Louis Macklin on keyboards, percussion and backing vocals and Peter Marin on drums, percussion and backing vocals.

   From the opening notes of “Last Chance,” it was obvious that Jet had no intention of easing the audience into the evening. The band immediately followed with “She’s a Genius,” before moving into “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.” The sequence demonstrated the band's knack for combining muscular guitar riffs with choruses that demand audience participation. “Get What You Need” and “Walk” kept the momentum rolling, followed by “Seventeen” and “Move On.” There was a comfortable confidence in the performance. Jet wasn't trying to prove that they could still play these songs, they simply played them, and the songs did the rest.

“Jet’s greatest strength has always been its ability to make rock ’n’ roll feel effortless and that quality was on full display in Houston.”

   “Bring It On Back” pushed the set forward before “Look What You've Done” provided one of the night's biggest shifts in mood. The song remains one of Jet's most recognizable and emotionally resonant tracks and hearing it in the intimate House of Blues setting gave it a different character than the heavier material surrounding it. Then Cester and the band reached back to one of the country's greatest musical exports - not their own, but another Australian institution.

A Tribute to the Rock ’n’ Roll Highway

    Jet's performance of AC/DC's “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)” was one of the night's most fitting covers. Before the song, Cester dedicated it to some people in the crowd from Adelaide, adding a personal Australian connection to a song that has become an international rock anthem. Jet performing AC/DC in Houston was more than a simple cover. The influence of AC/DC has long been apparent in Jet's approach to rock: stripped-down arrangements, memorable riffs, swagger and a complete lack of interest in overcomplicating things.

    Once the opening notes of “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” rang out the room erupted. The song remains Jet's signature anthem, more than 20 years after Get Born introduced it to the world. It was followed by “Rollover D.J.”, another Get Born favorite, before the band drove through “Get Me Outta Here” and “Cold Hard Bitch.” The latter two songs provided a powerful final push to the main set, leaving the audience primed for whatever Jet had planned next. The encore would take the night somewhere considerably more intimate.

The Encore: Loss, Reflection and One Last Blast

    When Jet returned for the encore, Cester came back onto the stage alone with an acoustic guitar. The normally full-throttle frontman stripped everything down for “Shine On.” Before beginning, Cester explained that the song was for anyone that night who had suffered great loss. In the suddenly quieter House of Blues, the song took on an emotional weight that could easily have been lost in the middle of Jet's louder material. Instead, the acoustic performance became one of the night's most affecting moments.

“With nothing but an acoustic guitar, Nic Cester transformed ‘Shine On’ from a rock song into a moment of shared remembrance.”

    The rest of the band returned for “Come Around Again,” but with a twist: Cameron Muncey stepped forward to take the lead vocals. It was another reminder that Jet's history isn't centered around one voice or one personality. Muncey's presence has been integral to the band's sound from the beginning and giving him the spotlight provided a welcome change of pace late in the performance. The band then added “Lazy Gun” before bringing the evening to a furious conclusion with “Rip It Up.”

    It was an appropriate ending. After nearly two decades of international success, a breakup, reunions and a return to the road, Jet still understands the fundamental appeal of a great rock show. The songs are strong, the musicianship is tight and the performance never becomes overly complicated.

    The Houston show also benefited from the chemistry between the two bands. The Retrograde's performance had already produced an unexpected collaboration with Cester, while Luis' appearance with the opening act reinforced the sense that the bands were genuinely enjoying sharing the stage rather than simply moving through a predetermined tour schedule.

    Jet's history is now long enough that their early songs have become part of the soundtrack of an entire generation. Yet in the House of Blues Houston on this Saturday night, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “Cold Hard Bitch” “Look What You've Done” and the rest of the set didn't sound like museum pieces. They sounded alive, that may be the most important thing about Jet's return. They aren't simply revisiting the music that made them famous. They're still a functioning rock band, still touring, still bringing those songs to new audiences and still finding ways to make each night feel a little different.

    The Retrograde opened the door with a glimpse of rock's future. Jet walked through it carrying the past, present and enduring spirit of the genre with them. On this night, Houston got the best of both worlds.

    Rock ’n’ roll wasn't looking backwards. It was alive and very loud inside the House of Blues.

Jet Setlist:
Last Chance
She's a Genius
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Get What You Need
Walk
Seventeen
Move On   
Bring It On Back
Look What You've Done
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) (AC/DC cover)
Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Rollover D.J.
Get Me Outta Here
Cold Hard Bitch
Encore:
Shine On (Acoustic solo)
Come Around Again 
Lazy Gun
Rip It Up

The Retrograde Setlist:
Boulder Dash
Dirty Daisy
I need a little
It's Alright (Louis fto Jet on Keyboard)
Oh Darling (Beatles Cover) (Nick  form Jet on vocals)
Closer to Somewhere
If 6 Was 4
Olivia