Béla Fleck Stages All-Star 'My Bluegrass Heart' Show At The Ryman With Billy Strings, Sam Bush, More [Videos]

Béla Fleck on Saturday staged a special performance on his My Bluegrass Heart tour featuring Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Michael Cleveland, and more at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The show celebrated the banjo master’s 2021 album of the same name, hosting guest appearances from many of the musicians who contributed to it, and was streamed live via Mandolin.

After the show was delayed a night by a winter storm that blew through Music City on Friday, it was finally time to get down to business on Saturday. The first set began with a selection from Fleck’s last bluegrass album prior to My Bluegrass Heart, 1999’s The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2. From there on out, however, it was a showcase for the new LP with fresh compositions including “Verito”, “This Old Road”, “Hug Point”, “Round Rock”, “The Old North Woods”, “Us Chicken”, and the set-closing “Tentacle Dragon (Revenge of the)”.

Guest appearances began rolling in during the second set, starting with Sierra Hull lending her hand to the opening “Psalm 136”. Musicians continued to trot onstage with Molly Tuttle on “Strider”, before the whole gang came out for “Charm School”, including Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Billy Strings, Michael Cleveland, and bassist Mark Schatz. The band didn’t let up on the following “Wheels Up”, which welcomed dobro player Justin Moses, Hull, Tuttle, Cleveland, and Schatz.

The storied Ryman stage reached an apex for “Hunter’s Moon” ahead of a fiddle fest on “Baptist Pumpkin Farm” and finally the set-closing “Boulderdash”. Returning for an encore, Fleck and the My Bluegrass Heart band still had plenty left in the tank. The encore began with New Grass Revival‘s “When the Storm is Over” ahead of Bill Monroe‘s “Dark as the Night, Blue as the Day”. A fitting tribute to The Volunteer State came next with “Tennessee (I Hear You Calling Me)” ahead of the show-closing “I’m on My Way Back to the Old Home”.

Check out some fan-shot videos from Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart at Ryman Auditorium on Saturday courtesy of Music City Maven. Fleck has another star-studded My Bluegrass Heart show scheduled for tonight, January 9th, at New York City’s Carnegie Hall with many of the same musicians in tow with the notable addition of Chris Thile. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit Fleck’s website.

Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart – “Tentacle Dragon (Revenge of the)” – 1/8/22

Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart – “Charm School” – 1/8/22

Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN – 1/8/22

Béla Fleck My Bluegrass Heart – “Tennessee (I Hear You Calling Me)” (Godfery, Robe) – 1/8/22

Setlist: Béla Fleck | Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN | 1/8/22

Set One: Blue Mountain Hop, Vertigo, This Old Road, Hug Point, Round Rock, The Old North Woods, Us Chickens, Tentacle Dragon (Revenge of the)

Set Two: Psalm 136 [1], Strider [2], Our Little Secret, Charm School [3], Wheels Up [4], Hunter’s Moon [5], Baptist Pumpkin Farm [6], Boulderdash

Encore: When the Storm Is Over (New Grass Revival), Dark as the Night, Blue as the Day (Bill Monroe), Tennessee (I Hear You Calling Me) (Godfrey, Robe), I’m on My Way Back to the Old Home

[1] w/ Sierra Hull

[2] w/ Molly Tuttle

[3] Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Billy Strings, Michael Cleveland (fiddle), Mark Schatz (bass)

[4] Justin Moses (dobro), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Molly Tuttle, Michael Cleveland (fiddle), Mark Schatz

[5] 10 musicians

[6] 4.5 fiddles including Sam Bush