The String Cheese Incident kicked off its spring tour with a pair of midweek Incidents at Wilmington, North Carolina’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater featuring some fresh Bob Dylan covers, new material from keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth, and a special birthday celebration for multi-instrumentalist Michael Kang.

After massive storms ravaged the Carolinas last year, more inclement weather threatened the early afternoon Incidents, but the String Cheese team managed to pull it off. Thanks to the hard 9 p.m. curfew on GLA weekday shows, the band had to get going mighty early both nights just to squeeze in four sets of ooey-gooey jam-packed goodness for its faithful fans.

Fortunately, Wednesday’s rain showers were nowhere near as bad as the devastating hurricane swept through the region last year. After a short delay, Wednesday’s kick-off party even started under temporarily sunny skies, though, sadly, occasional bursts of rain persisted throughout the show—nothing strong enough to stop the musical proceedings but still a bit of a mood dampener.

After bassist Keith Mosely thanked SCI’s long-serving, hard-working crew for hustling to make the shows happen, String Cheese got things going with a bout of “Vertigo”. Following that opening jam up was an energetic “Black and White”, which flowed nicely into “Dudley’s Kitchen” and assured everyone that things were good to go. Guitarist Bill Nershi welcomed the crowd to the early afternoon showcase, urging the fans to get loose, stay as dry as possible, and settle in for the party to come.

After some fine work on “Cottonmouth” and some extra-sensory moments in “MLT”, Hollingsworth’s solo tune “Carnival” got the full Cheese treatment for the first time. Judging by the enthusiastic reception the tune received, it seems like a safe bet it won’t be the last time the song graces a String Cheese Incident setlist.

The String Cheese Incident – “Carnival” – 5/14/25

To close out the first set, Cheese paired a sweet and solid “Rollover” with a wild and wooly “Valley Of The Jig” that featured psychedelic fiddling from Kang. Freed momentarily from their pocket-creating responsibilities by the bluegrass DNA of the jam, percussionist Jason Hann and drummer Michael Travis, as well as Hollingsworth, got to experiment in ways that other songs simply don’t allow. With that bit of rhythmic wandering complete, it was time for Cheese to retreat and let the crowd pull themselves back together amid the blustery bursts of rain.

The second set kicked off with an acknowledgement of Kang’s birthday the previous day and a cupcake-filled, reggae serenade from Nershi, the crew, and crowd. After ripping a solo in his own birthday jam, a smiling Kang wished everyone could have that sort of opportunity. Everyone onstage passed around a bottle of tequila for toasting and then got down to the business of searching for a musical “Solution”.

Said solution turned out to be the next clutch of songs, a set-defining one-two-three jam consisting of a meandering “Close Your Eyes” that came and went before blasting into a jazzy take on Weather Report’s “Black Market”. Cheese finished the extended jam with the thematically and atmospherically appropriate “Black Clouds”, which, while enjoyable, was maybe a little on the nose for the rain soaked fans.

The bluesy “Hotel Window” gave everyone a chance to lament the seemingly never ending weather issues before lifting the mood, metaphorically and sonically, “Into The Blue”. Seeming to realize time was growing short, Cheese got one last big positive jam going with the set-closing “Rosie”, uniting the crowd and band in a moment of communal, soggy bliss. Working together to elevate the closing vibe paid off during the encore, a strong and well-received rendition of the Bob Dylan-penned “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)” that gave the audience a feel-good sing-along to enjoy before they headed home to dry out and get ready for night two.

Thursday’s show got off to a glorious start with a bouncy “Eye Know Why”. Hollingsworth and Nershi effortlessly traded vocals while the rest of the band slipped into a sweet-spot, mid-tempo jam. When “Eye” finished, Nershi took welcomed the crowd, making a special point to note how gorgeous the afternoon had turned out, which, after Wednesday’s weather, got a loud and sustained cheer.

Continuing the spirit-lifting first set, Cheese delivered a bouncy “Cedar Lake” that fit the moment, intention, and scenic setting perfectly. Sticking to water theme, a wistful but still buoyant “Sometimes A River” also served as a nod to the gorgeous surroundings. Moseley questioned the crowd about their familiarity with the recent Timothée Chalamet Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown before Cheese launched into the film’s namesake, “Like A Rolling Stone”. The SCI instrumental “Xai Xai (SKAT)” served as a fine cool down transition and returned the crowd to its Cheesey mental state.

With everyone finally together in a positive place, there was nothing left for Cheese to do but let the love flow. The rest of the set was a three-song, continuously building sequence of upbeat vibes starting off with an ode to “Sirens” and their message, “I just wanted to say ‘I love you’ and make sure you feel it every day!” Cheese’s take on the Talking Heads classic “This Must Be The Place (Naive Medley)” built up the dance groove while adding a strong psychedelic element.

The entire three-song sonic wedge was capped with a set-closing highlight, a wide open, mind-bending “One Step Closer” that united the groove fans and the psychedelic trance devotees into a single throbbing entity. Every aspect, from Travis’ country drum beat and Hann’s washboard to Moseley’s heartbeat bassline and the stellar work of Cheese’s three-headed melodic monster of Hollingsworth, Kang, and Nershi, effectively elevated the vibe. The cheers that erupted at the end of the song were a wild mix of appreciation, astonishment and joy.

The sun safely down and the stage lights pulsating, the second set got started with a spiraling “Roll Around The Sun”. As if telling the crowd directly to get ready for the sonic fireworks to come, Cheese launched an explanatory “Enjoy The Ride” before getting slightly more terrestrial with an energetic cover of New Grass Revival‘s “Can’t Stop Now” that blew the set wide open. Hollingsworth’s piano and lead vocals on the subsequent ‘”Eventually” felt like a warm embrace, but it was the question he posed after the tune, “Who’s ready for a story?” that really seemed to rev up the crowd.

As far as subcategories of Cheese songs go, few are as beloved as Bill Nershi’s tall tales, and the one he wheeled off, “Jellyfish”, likely sits atop that musical pyramid for most fans. After the various twists and turns and calls and responses of that beloved song, a twinkling “Blue Lagoon Jam” served as a bridge to the set-closing, show-stopping centerpiece of the entire performance, a go-for-broke “Shine”.

Everything about the show-closer was pitch perfect. From Kang’s urgent vocals to the expansive, mind-blowing parameters of the jams, it was easily the highlight of the night if not the entire two-night stand. Though the “Restless Wind” encore was most welcome, it was still nowhere near the epic journey of “Shine”.

Having completed its two-night stay at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, The String Cheese incident linked up with The Wood Brothers for shows at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, The Amp Ballantyne in Charlotte, and Rose Music Center at The Heights in Huber Heights, OH on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. Each night featured special surprises and collaborations, starting on Friday when SCI played “How Sweet It Is” for the first time in 20 years with The Wood Brothers. The two bands joined forces again on Sunday for a cover of Allen Toussaint‘s “Get Out Of My Life Woman”, and SCI closed out the weekend with the Grateful Dead live staple “I Know You Rider”.

The String Cheese Incident With The Wood Brothers – “Get Out Of My Life Woman” (Allen Toussaint) – 5/18/25

[Video: MJ]

The String Cheese Incident’s spring tour continues this week in the Midwest before wrapping at CaveJam at The Caverns in Pelham, TN. Find a full list of the band’s upcoming shows and ticketing details here.

Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | 5/14/25
Set 1: Vertigo, Black and White >Dudley’s Kitchen, Cottonmouth, MLT, Carnival [1], Rollover > Valley Of The Jig
Set 2: Happy Birthday Michael Kang Jam, Solution, Close Your Eyes > Black Market (Weather Report) > Black Clouds > Hotel WindoRosie
Encore: Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) (Bob Dylan)
[1] FTP

Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Greenfield Lake Amphitheater | 5/15/25
Set 1: Eye Know Why, Cedar Laurels, Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) > Xai Xai (SKAT), Sirens > This Must Be The Place (Naive Medley) (Talking Heads) > One Step Closer
Set 2: Roll Around The Sun, Enjoy The Ride > Can’t Stop Now (New Grass Revival), Eventually, Jellyfish > Blue Lagoon Jam > Shine
Encore: Restless Wind

Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Red Hat Amphitheater | Raleigh, NC | 5/16/25
Set 1: On the Road, Got What He Wanted, Manga, How Sweet It Is [1], County Road Blues, Joyful Sound > Best Feeling > Texas
Set 2: Beautiful, ‘Round The Wheel > Drums > I Will Follow You, Get Tight, Rivertrance, Colorado Bluebird Sky
Encore: Colliding
[1] with The Wood Brothers

Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | The Amp Ballantyne | Charlotte, NC | 5/17/25
Set 1: Song in My Head, These Waves > Djibouti Bump > Piece of Mine, Lend Me A Hand, Rhythm Of The Road > Birdland > The Remington Ride > Birdland, Let’s Go Outside
Set 2: All We Got, The Big Reveal, Smile, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Tinder Box > Shantytown > Desert Dawn
Encore: Bollymunster

Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Rose Music Center | Huber Heights, OH | 5/18/25
Set 1: Can’t Wait Another Day, Miss Brown’s Teahouse > Chameleon > Miss Brown’s Teahouse, Way Back When, Believe, Get Out Of My Life Woman [1], Illegal > It Is What It Is, Revival
Set 2: Just One Story > Search > Drums > Search, Bhangra Saanj, Barstool, Trip The Light Fantastic > Land’s End > Glory Chords
Encore: I Know You Rider
[1] with The Wood Brothers