Railroad Earth kicked off their west-coast tour last Friday night (3/13) in San Francisco at The Independent, then headed just across the San Francisco Bay to perform at the legendary Fox Theater in Oakland. The ornate venue dates back to 1928 as a movie theater, which was later refurbished and reopened as a concert venue in 2009.
The Infamous Stringdusters opened with a 9-song set including their unique take on Walking on the Moon, and successfully whet the crowd’s appetite. Railroad Earth pulled out many “Hobo” favorites in the first set, but left much of the musical peaking for the second set. The flowing “Butterfly > Gold Rush > Warhead Boogie > Forecast > Tuba Mirum” was the highlight of the night, and the fans never seemed to stop grooving.
RRE continued their West Coast, and a few days later played the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. Fiddle player Tim Carbone stole the first set, between building up interplay with mandolinist John Skehan, then again with Carey Harmon on drums. The multi-talented Andy Goessling comfortably switched between guitar, banjo, flute, pennywhistle, then two saxophones at once!
The first set wrapped up with a “Seven Story Mountain” that housed a tight, but flowing, improvisational jam. The band showed off their versatility during the second set, from traditional bluegrass fiddle tunes (Jerusalem Ridge, 12 Wolves) to down-beat reggae (Take Good Care), to progressive rock (Tuba Mirum). After two long sets, the band showed they had plenty of gas left in the tank with the “Ragtime Annie” encore, nearly tripling the speed of the song without missing a note!
Check out setlists and photos from both shows below.
March 14, 2015 ~ Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
Set 1:
Head, Been Down This Road, Just So You Know, Donkey For Sale, The Good Life, Happy Song, All That’s Dead May Live Again -> Introit -> Seven Story Mountain
Set 2
The Forecast -> When the Sun Gets in Your Blood, Cold Water, Jerusalem Ridge, Take Good Care of Yourself (Slow Reggae), Long Way To Go, The Hunting Song -> Tuba Mirum, 12 Wolves, Mighty River -> Chasin’ a Rainbow
Encore:
Ragtime Annie Lee, Railroad Earth
March 19, 2015 ~ El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Set 1:
Like A Buddha -> Chasin’ a Rainbow, Been Down This Road, Brown County Breakdown, Crossing The Gap, Potter’s Field -> Lone Croft Farewell, Grandfather Mountain
Set 2:
Bird in a House, Drag Him Down, You Never Know, Elko, Butterfly & The Tree -> Gold Rush -> Warhead Boogie -> The Forecast -> Tuba Mirum, 12 Wolves -> Butterfly & The Tree
Encore:
Railroad Earth
