Daniel Donato reached his latest career high point on Friday with his headlining debut at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The Cosmic Country guitarist grew up in Nashville, busking on Broadway and playing hundreds of gigs at nearby Robert’s Western World, and to celebrate taking top billing at The Mother Church of Country Music, Donato performed three shows in one day.
Donato’s marathon day began at noon at Nashville’s famed Grimey’s New & Preloved Music record store. In addition to headlining The Ryman, Friday also marked the release of Donato’s fourth studio album, Horizons. In honor of the occasion, Donato stopped by Grimey’s to play a pop-up, solo acoustic show and sign a few records.
After Grimey’s, it was time for the main event as Donato and his Cosmic Country bandmates Nathan Aronowitz, Will Clark, and Will McGee took the stage at Ryman Auditorium for their 8 p.m. show. Donato justifiably took ample opportunity to plug his second collection of all-original music, performing eight of Horizons‘ 15 songs across the 21-song, two-set show.
In addition to his original brand of psychedelic chicken-pickin’ music, Donato paid homage to the century-plus of musicians who came before him on the Ryman’s stage. Opening the show with Merle Haggard‘s “Workin’ Man Blues”, Donato included Hank Williams‘ “I Saw the Light” and Waylon Jennings‘ “Waymore’s Blues” in the setlist and expressed his most sincere high-frequency thanks throughout the show.
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country — “Workin’ Man Blues” (Merle Haggard), “Blame The Train”, “Fortunate Sparrow” — Ryman Auditorium — 8/22/25
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country — “Chore” — Ryman Auditorium — 8/22/25
But even after two 75-minute sets and a two-song encore, Donato still wasn’t done. After finishing at the Ryman, Donato, his bandmates, and a hundred-something lucky fans rounded the corner onto Nashville’s Broadway and ducked into Robert’s Western World. Donato cut his teeth as a young guitarist at Robert’s and honed his skills by playing 464 shows behind The Don Kelley Band, the honky tonk’s house band since 1996. So, after playing what was sentimentally the biggest show of his career (so far), it was only fitting that Donato should return to where it all began.
From Busking On The Street To The Ryman // A Cosmic Country Story // Daniel Donato (2021)
In contrast to Donato’s all-original showcase at Grimey’s and the Ryman show that leaned heavily on Horizons, the unannounced midnight concert at Robert’s consisted entirely of covers. Armed with his original seaform green Fender Telecaster that guided him through many shows at Robert’s, Donato and his band tore through a set of 16 country classics with help from pedal steel guitarist Mike Drassler, who sat in for the entire set. With nods to Johnny Cash, George Jones, Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings, and many more, Donato drove home his reverence for classic country music and for all those who paved his path to the Ryman.
Click below for videos and audio from all three Daniel Donato shows at Grimey’s, Ryman Auditorium, and Robert’s Western World. Following appearances at Lexington, KY’s Manchester Music Hall, Shoe Fest in Manteno, IL, and Lotus’ Summerdance festival in Garrettsville, OH, Donato will link up with Railroad Earth and Yonder Mountain String Band for a tripleheader tour. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates here or on his website.
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Daniel Donato — “Blame The Train” — Grimey’s New & Preloved Music — 8/22/25
[Video: mike wallace]
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country — Robert’s Western World — Nashville, TN — 8/22/25 — Full Audio
[Audio: jerryfreak]
Setlist: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country | Grimey’s New & Preloved Music | Nashville, TN | 8/22/25
Set: Blame The Train, Half Moon Night, Along The Trail, Fortunate Sparrow, Another Dimension, Broadside Ballad
Notes: Daniel Acoustic Solo Pop Up Pre-Show For The Ryman. Set And Signing At The Record Store With Pre-Order Of Horizons.
Setlist: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country | Ryman Auditorium | Nashville, TN | 8/22/25
Set One: Workin’ Man Blues (Merle Haggard), Blame The Train, Fortunate Sparrow, About The Angels, Half Moon Night > I Saw The Light (Hank Williams) > Half Moon Night (Reprise), Broadside Ballad > Hangman’s Reel (Traditional), Along The Trail, Better Deal Blues, Sunshine In The Rain (Strange Presence)
Set Two: Dance In The Desert [1], Sugar Shack [2], Lose Your Mind > Waymore’s Blues (Waylon Jennings) > Mystery Train (Junior Parker), Free Wheelin’ [3], Chore
Encore: Luck Of The Draw > Sugar Leg Rag
Setlist: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country | Robert’s Western World | Nashville, TN | 8/22/25
Set: Honky Tonk Night Time Man (Merle Haggard), Truck Drivin’ Man (Terry Fell), Fox On The Run (Tony Hazzard), Darlin’ Cory (Traditional) > Arkansas Traveler (Traditional), White Lightning (George Jones), Big River (Johnny Cash), (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle (Hank Williams), Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin (Jerry Irby), Love’s Gonna Live Here (Buck Owens), Sittin’ On Top Of World (Traditional), Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms (Traditional), Why You Been Gone So Long (Mickey Newbury), Fourteen Carat Mind (Dallas Frazier, Larry Lee), Ain’t Living Long Like This (Rodney Crowell), Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (Traditional)
Notes: This was an unannounced midnight concert following Daniel Donato’s headlining debut at the Ryman Auditorium. Daniel played his OG Seafoam Green Telecaster the entire set, which also featured Mike Drassler on steel guitar for the whole show.