While life on the road certainly has its thrills, there’s nothing like a nice homecoming to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That’s been the annual tradition of Greensky Bluegrass for the last few years, who maintain quite the rigorous touring schedule. The band’s hard work has certainly paid off, as they have a nationwide following and a reputation as one of the best bluegrass outfits on the road today.
The energy at the Kalamazoo State Theatre in Kalamazoo, MI was electric over the last two nights, as Greensky Bluegrass settled in with their patented blend of jammed out bluegrass music. The group drew from their full catalog, mixing older songs with new tunes written for their 2016 release, Shouted, Written Down & Quoted.
The first night was pure Greensky, as the band stuck closely to their deep catalog. They opened the show with “Past My Prime,” and kept the down-home music rolling with tunes like “Living Over” and “Room Without A Roof”. The band also welcomed out opening act Joshua Davis for a couple of selections in the first set, including “Delta 88” and “Last Winter in the Copper Country.”
Check out a full recording below, from taper Sam Lincoln.
After Joshua Davis’s opening set on night two, Greensky Bluegrass cut their chops for a three set masterpiece. While the first two sets were traditional Greensky, the group ended their second set with The Band’s classic “The Shape I’m In.” They then returned for a mini-set with more songs by The Band, including “Cripple Creek,” “Down South In New Orleans”, “Don’t Do It” and the final number of the weekend, “The Weight.” Another great song, Neil Young’s “Helpless”, was also played during the segment.
Listen to the second night of Greensky Bluegrass’s two-night Kalamazoo run below, courtesy of taper Jason Harter.
Greensky Bluegrass will spend the week at home, before heading over to Colorado for a three night run at the Ogden Theatre in Denver on December 1-3.
[Photo by Kristine Condon Photography // via Greensky Bluegrass on Facebook]