Like so many musicians and bands in recent weeks, Greensky Bluegrass did its part to support the city of Los Angeles and its residents in their recovery from a recent spate of historically destructive wildfires. The five-piece jamgrass outfit from Kalamazoo, Michigan donated all proceeds from merchandise sales at their January show at The Wiltern in L.A. to Sweet Relief, which provides financial support to musicians and other industry workers in need.
Given how central L.A. is to the music business, that community was hit particularly hard by the Palisades and Eaton fires. Homes, studios, scores of instruments, and vast record collections were among the innumerable treasures lost to the flames. Beyond the material contributions, Greensky Bluegrass provided plenty of sweet relief through two sets of spectacular Americana music in L.A.’s Koreatown neighborhood.
The fantastic quintet of Paul Hoffman on mandolin, Dave Bruzza on guitar, Michael Bont on banjo, Anders Beck on dobro, and Mike Devol on bass filled nearly half of the setlist with songs from records that they have released since the COVID-19 pandemic. The most prominent among those was 2022’s Stress Dreams, the lone full-length album produced by the band over the span. Greensky Bluegrass pulled from that LP early and often, beginning with a back-to-back of “Monument” and “Streetlight” on the heels of “Just to Lie” as the show opener. Later on during the first set, the band followed up a cover of The Spanishtonian’s “Stop That Train” (a ska classic better known for renditions performed by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh) with “Screams”.
Stress Dreams came back into play during the second set, by way of “Reasons to Stay”, and provided fodder for the encore with “Grow Together”. A pair of recent EPs proved to be impactful on the evening’s proceedings, as well. The Leap Year Sessions series raised its hand during the second set, courtesy of the traditional Americana song “Reuben’s Train” and a two-part “Tarpology” wrapped around a cover of Paul Simon’s “Gumboots”. 2024’s The Iceland Sessions got some run with “Entirely Mine” during the first set and “Born Again” in the second, though Holly Bowling was not on hand to collaborate live as she did on the record.
To be sure, Greensky Bluegrass did more than dabble in their pre-pandemic catalog. From “Fixin’ To Ruin”, “200 Miles from Montana”, and “Living Over” during the first set, to “Windshield”, “Murder of Crows”, and “Run or Die” after intermission, there were more than a few fan favorites tossed in for the band’s longtime faithful. “Murder of Crows” in particular evoked enough excitement for one attendee to not only implore those around them with an old-fashioned, “Hip hip hooray,” but also draw enough attention from Anders to get the dobroist to put the power of his microphone behind that chant.
But even that reaction paled in comparison to the all-around fervor whipped up by “Time” >”Breathe Reprise”. Though the crowd was light, seemingly everyone in the house could be heard singing along to the classic songs from Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon. Those have been staples of Greensky Bluegrass’ ever-expanding repertoire since at least 2010, when they were included on the band’s live album, All Access, Vol. 1 (Live).
Click below to check out fan-shot videos and a gallery of photos from Greensky Bluegrass at The Wiltern.
The group and its awe-inspiring array of layered, atmospheric jams will soon make their way across the rest of America, albeit with more support on the bill. After closing out the West Coast leg of their tour in San Diego, Greensky Bluegrass will hop back to the East Coast for a run of February dates with Moon Taxi and Kitchen Dwellers taking turns as openers.
Come March, these top-tier players will be busy gigging around the Midwest and South—including a show at The Fillmore in Detroit and back-to-back performances at The Salt Shed in Chicago, with Kitchen Dwellers and Dogs In A Pile alternating as undercards—before embarking on a string of festival dates through the spring and summer. Find a full list of upcoming tour dates and ticketing details here.
Greensky Bluegrass – “Fixin’ To Ruin” – 1/24/25
[Video: Kevin Bossick]
Setlist [via Phantasy Tour]: Greensky Bluegrass | The Wiltern | Los Angeles, CA | 1/24/25
Set 1: Just to Lie, Monument, Streetlight, Fixin’ To Ruin, 200 Miles from Montana, Stop that Train, Screams, Entirely Mine, Living Over
Set 2: Reuben’s Train, Windshield, Murder of Crows, Reasons to Stay, Time, Breathe Reprise, Tarpology, Gumboots, Tarpology, Born Again, Run or Die
Encore: Grow Together
