On Saturday night, Leftover Salmon finished off the last of two nights at the Boulder Theater, accompanied by Jen Hartswick and Skerik on horns. The two-night Boulder, Colorado run over Thanksgiving weekend has been an annual staple for years, with friends and family gathering from near and far to boogie down in the spot the band has called home for over a quarter-century. In addition to two high-octane sets of Cajun-slamgrass music, the CU Denver Bluegrass Ensemble and The Drunken Hearts helped get the night started off.

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Leftover Salmon’s first set of music was full of energy, as the band worked through classics for the first half of the set, later inviting up the High Country Horns to add the perfect flavor to Leftover Salmon’s already oh-so-tasty tunes. After a scorching “Liza” opener showcasing Vince Herman’s out-of-this-world stage antics, the band dove head-first into staples “Gold Hill Line”, “Get Up And Go”, and “Two Highways”—the latter was dedicated to Theo Clark, a beloved figure in the tiny Nederland, Colorado mountain-town scene that Salmon has called home from time to time who passed away earlier in the morning.

The band then invited renowned saxophonist Skerik up on stage to lend the jamgrass all-stars a helping hand on “Unplug That Telephone”. Drew Emmitt and Andy Thorn traded off monster licks, and the mandolin and banjo virtuosos showed no signs of fatigue or slowing down as they ran through “This Is The Time” and “Tu N’as Pas Aller”. First set was highlighted by Jen Hartswick’s invite to lead the band on vocals through the powerful John Prine tune, “Angel From Montgomery”, a tune that rose to popularity with Bonnie Raitt’s rendition a few years later. Hartswick proves time and time again that she can blend in beautifully with a variety of artists, as we’ve seen her sit in with Phil Lesh, Umphrey’s McGee and Phish, just to name a few.

For second set, Leftover Salmon delivered a ferocious “Eupohoria” followed by “Show Me” and a groovy rendition of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon” off of their classic album Waiting for Columbus. The horns added the perfect touch to a group that already offers such creative and high-class jams night after night. Up next were favorites “Bolin Creek” and “High Country”, which kept the Colorado crowd on their feet.

Keeping in the holiday spirit, next, Leftover invited Vince Herman’s and Drew Emmitt’s children—Willa Emmitt, Eli Emmitt, and Silas Herman (Gipsy Moon)—onstage to lead the band through a timeless classic, The Band’s “Ophelia” penned by Robbie Robertson. Herman and Emmitt’s sons stayed onstage for “Baby Please” before Hartswick stepped back up to the mic for another cover of The Band—“I Shall Be Released.” Second set closed out with “Up On The Hill Where We Do the Boogie” before Leftover Salmon came back out to encore Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”, ending a truly special Thanksgiving weekend in Boulder, Colorado.

Setlist: Leftover Salmon | Boulder Theater | Boulder, CO | 11/25/2017

Set 1: Liza, Gold Hill Line, Get Up And Go, Two Highways^, Evermore, Unplug That Telephone, This Is The Time, Tu N’as Pas Aller, Angel From Montgomery*, All Night Ride

Set 2: Euphoria, Show Me, Spanish Moon, Get Me Out Of This City, House of Cards, Bolin Creek, There’s A World, High Country, Ophelia**, Baby Please Come Home^^, I Shall Be Released*, Up On The Hill Where We Do The Boogie

Encore: Heart of Gold

Notes: ^-Dedicated to Theo Clark | *-W/ Jen Hartswick on Vocals | **- W/ Willa Emmitt on Vocals, Eli Emmitt on Electric Guitar (Drew’s children), and Silas Herman on Electric Guitar | ^^-W/ Eli Emmitt and Silas Herman on Electric Guitars

[Cover Photo: Leftover Salmon’s Facebook]