Greensky Bluegrass returned to Red Rocks Amphitheatre this past weekend to stage the band’s annual summer run in Morrison, CO. The two-night affair brought with it the requisite amount of pageantry as the band welcomed an array of special guests on Friday and Saturday and debuted a new song on night two.
After spending two nights at the nearby Dillon Amphitheater, Greensky Bluegrass transferred over to Red Rocks to kick off the run on Friday. The quartet performed the entirety of the concert with keyboardist Holly Bowling (Ghost Light) for a configuration dubbed 6reensky. Bowling was not the only special guest to lend a hand on Friday, as during the second set 6reensky brought out Trey Anastasio Band horns Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman.
The trumpeter and trombonist were on hand for nearly the entire second half of the show, emerging for “I’d Probably Kill You” and assisting on a massive, set-closing 20-plus minute “Leap Year” that made its way into Ana Tijoux‘s “1977”. Friday marked Greensky’s second time playing “1977” after debuting the cover at Strings & Sol in 2019, also with Hartswick and Cressman, per Phantasy Tour. The extended ensemble returned for an encore of “What You Need” followed by GSBG’s debut of “Late in the Evening” by Paul Simon.
For night two the guest list was much smaller with the first set highlighted by the debut of a new original, “Get Out”. Another highlight of the first frame was a closing cover sandwich as the band wove Fleetwood Mac‘s “The Chain” through Justin Timberlake‘s “What Goes Around…Comes Around” and back again to finish the penultimate set of the weekend.
The final set of Greensky Bluegrass’ 2022 Colorado run saw a guest appearance from opening act Kitchen Dwellers. Shawn Swain (mandolin), Torrin Daniels (banjo), and Max Davies (guitar) came out midway through the set to help out on an emotional tribute to the late Jeff Austin with Yonder Mountain String Band‘s “Keep On Going”. The backstretch of the set continued on with “It’s Not Mine Anymore” before the final cover of the run, Norton Buffalo‘s “Ain’t No Bread In The Breadbox”. Set two then wound down with “Reverend” and finally “Worried About The Weather” before Greensky Bluegrass finished off the weekend with a “Courage For The Road” encore.
Check out a gallery of images from Greensky Bluegrass’ Red Rocks run courtesy of photographer Dylan Langille, as well as audio of both shows from Taper_Friendly. The band is off the road until its October 8th appearance at Levitate Flannel Jam in Marshfield, MA. For tickets and a list of dates head here.
Greensky Bluegrass – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – 9/16/22
Greensky Bluegrass – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – 9/17/22
Greensky Bluegrass – Colorado 2022 Recap
Kitchen Dwellers – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – 9/17/22 – Full Show
Setlist: Greensky Bluegrass | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 9/16/22
Set One: Grow Together, Hit Parade of Love (Jimmy Martin), Give a Shit, Bone Digger (Cris Jacobs), Jaywalking, Windshield > Lose My Way, Reasons to Stay > Time (Pink Floyd) > Breathe Reprise (Pink Floyd)
Set Two: Worry for You > Don’t Lie, Wish I Didn’t Know > New & Improved, I’d Probably Kill You [1], Leap Year [1] > 1977 (Ana Tijoux) [1] [2] > Leap Year [1]
Encore: What You Need [1] [3], Late in the Evening (Paul Simon) [1] [4]
w/ Holly Bowling for whole show
[1] w/ Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet), Natalie Cressman (trombone)
[2] w/ Natalie Cressman (vocals)
[3] w/ Jennifer Hartswick (vocals)
[4] FTP
Setlist: Greensky Bluegrass | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 9/17/22
Set One: Past My Prime, Living Over, Get Out [1], Into the Rafters, Room Without a Roof, Fixin To Ruin, Stress Dreams, Run or Die, The Chain (Fleetwood Mac) > What Goes Around…Comes Around (Justin Timberlake) > The Chain
Set Two: Absence of Reason, Broke Mountain Breakdown > Demons, Murder of Crows, Keep on Going (Yonder Mountain String Band) [2], It’s Not Mine Anymore, Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox (Norton Buffalo), Reverend, Worried About the Weather
Encore: Courage for the Road
[1] Debut
[2] w/ Shawn Swain (mandolin), Torrin Daniels (banjo), Max Davies (guitar)
