Peter Rowan, Sam Grisman Project, and a ton of their talented, pickin’ pals converged on Nashville, TN’s Ryman Auditorium on Thursday to honor the legacy of Old & In The Way, Rowan’s groundbreaking bluegrass band featuring Jerry Garcia (Grateful Dead) and Sam Grisman’s father, David Grisman.

As the young Grisman noted when the special performance was announced late last year, “Celebrating Peter’s catalog and his musicality has been the highlight of my year, and getting to curate an evening of Old & In The Way music and so much more, with a cavalcade of friends and heroes on the sacred stage at Ryman, seems like the most spectacular start we could have drawn up for 2025.”

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The performance offered a loaded lineup from the start, with billed appearances by mandolin maestro Sam Bush and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien, Sam Grisman Project percussionist Chris J. English, mandolinist (and birthday boy) Dominick Leslie, fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings), cellist Nat Smith, youthful clawhammer banjoist Victor Furtado, guitarist/vocalist Logan Lender, and Finger Lakes-based picker Max Flansburg. As the night went on at the Ryman, the cast grew to include a string of surprise guests including Billy Strings, Lindsay Lou, John Mailander, Jerry Douglas, members of The Travelin’ McCourys, and more.

In addition to material from the Old & In The Way and Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead catalogs, highlights from the performance included a Jerry Douglas-sung take on the Jimi Hendrix-popularized “Hey Joe” with Billy Strings on guitar, Bob Dylan’s “Señor” with Billy Strings on guitar, a Tim O’Brien-led rendition of Bonnie Dobson-penned Grateful Dead staple “Morning Dew”, a Stanley Brothers tune piloted by Lindsay Lou, and more. Below, watch a selection of crowd-shot videos from the Peter Rowan/Sam Grisman Project tribute to Old & In The Way at the Ryman Auditorium.

Sam Grisman Project w/ Billy Strings, Jerry Douglas, More – “Hey Joe” (Jimi Hendrix, etc.) – 1/9/25
[Video: Ed Walsh]

Sam Grisman Project w/ Billy Strings, Jerry Douglas, More – “Hey Joe” (Jimi Hendrix, etc.) – 1/9/25
[Video: Ernie Nickels]

Sam Grisman Project w/ Tim O’Brien, More – “Morning Dew” (Bonnie Dobson) – 1/9/25
[Video: Tim O’Brien]

Sam Grisman Project w/ Billy Strings, More – “Señor” (Bob Dylan) – 1/9/25
[Video: Toronto Concert Guy]