Bluegrass superstars and Kalamazoo, MI natives Greensky Bluegrass have a celebratory reminder they want to share: school’s out and summer is here.
The Outdoor Beer Garden Season Opener, a three-day event hosted by the nationally acclaimed Bell’s Brewery, signals the unofficial start of the summer for beer and bluegrass enthusiasts alike. Thursday night (June 4th) started with some heat, and, as the sun went down, things only got hotter.
The buzz surrounding Greensky’s three-night homecoming stint was evidently in full swing long before the stage was set. The hometown shows sold out nearly six months ago.
Ann Arbor, MI based Americana roots and gypsy jazz band The Appleseed Collective got the intimate crowd moving as the day closed and special event brews flowed from the tap. A self proclaimed style of progressive string-swing was the perfect accompaniment to ring in the warm weather and good times as The Appleseed Collective played an hour long set to open for the hometown heroes.
By the time Greensky Bluegrass took the stage around 9:30, the band kicked things of with a blistering cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out,” with on-stage support from The Appleseed Collective. The fiery performance was energized by the setting sun, seemingly igniting the outdoor venue. They also broke out the rarity, “Señor,” a Bob Dylan cover.
Listen to the full show audio below:
The train tracks that run along the venue saw a small line of cars pass by before the first set appropriately closed with “Train Junkie.” Once the floodlights came on, two things were evidently clear: Greensky has been ready for this weekend for some time, and Bell’s has significantly improved their outdoor speaker situation.
Highlights from the second set featured a seamless segue from “Dry County” > “Time” by Pink Floyd. The same segue sequence was used with an equally impressive result two weeks ago at the band’s Summer Camp Music Festival appearance and the reaction back home was just as loud.
But it was the finale section of the second set that stole the show. After a heart wrenchingly powerful rendition of “Jaywalking,” the band took a breath and jumped right into “When Doves Cry” by Prince, sealing the second set in spectacular fashion. They finished the show with an encore of “Dustbowl Overtures.”
With a cover heavy performance, Greensky Bluegrass certainly kicked the weekend off strong and left the crowd eager for nights two and three. With so many surprises pulled out of their bag of tricks on the first night, it will be exciting to hear what else they have in store. You can also stream the next two nights here, courtesy of GSBG.
Setlist: Greensky Bluegrass @ Bell’s Brewery, June 4th 2015
Set 1: School’s Out*, The Four, Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down, Lose My Way, Señor, Lose My Way, Worried About The Weather, Clinch Mountain, Less Than Supper, Just To Lie> Train Junkie
Set 2: 200 Miles from Montana, Leap Year, Dry County > Time, Hit Parade of Love, Against the Days, Bringing In The Georgia Mail, Jaywalking, When Doves Cry
Encore: Dustbowl Overtures
*W/Appleseed Collective
[Setlist courtesy of Andrew Sturtz/Archive.org]