Last night marked an exciting performance at the Portsmouth Pavilion, with both Yonder Mountain String Band and The String Cheese Incident sharing a billing. While String Cheese has been known to dabble in a variety of genres, there’s no denying that bluegrass is at their hearts, and a choice collaborations with the folks of Yonder during last night’s show only strengthened those grassy roots.
YMSB opened up the show with a great set, letting their newest members – Allie Kral and Jacob Jolliff – shine during the performance. Cheese then took the stage for their two-set performance, as keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth proclaimed “Never miss a Sunday Show!” He wasn’t kidding. The first set was highlighted by a cover of Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved” into the Cheese tune “Beautiful.”
After a short break, the big moment of the night came at the start of the second set. The two bands teamed up for a full band collaboration, playing three songs: the Stanley Brothers tune, “Think Of What You’ve Done” into Bill Monroe’s “Big Mon,” as well as the traditional folk ballad “Blackberry Blossom.”
SCI is gearing up for a 3-night stand at Red Rocks Amphitheatre this coming weekend (July 14th-16th), where they will also be inducted into the Red Rocks Hall of Fame.
Check out some videos from the collaboration, courtesy of ricgrass on YouTube:
Think Of What You’ve Done/Big Mon
Blackberry Blossom
Images have been provided by Sam Shinault Photography, and a full gallery, as well as the band’s setlist, can be seen below.
Setlist: The String Cheese Incident at Portsmouth Pavilion, Portsmouth, VA – 7/10/16
S1: Restless Wind, Sometimes A River, Born On The Wrong Planet, Pigmy Pony, Stop Drop Roll, Could You Be Loved > Beautiful
S2: Think Of What You’ve Done* > Big Mon*, Blackberry Blossom*, Son of a Preacher Man, Rollover > Valley of the Jig, Sweet Spot, You’ve Got the World, Hotel Window > Rollover
* w/ Yonder Mountain String Band
