Last night the String Cheese Incident played one for the fans (as if they’re not all for the fans), one for the diehards, one for the folks who didn’t skip an early/mid-week show on their way to the Theater at Madison Square Garden at the end of the week or Suwannee Hulaween next weekend. Pittsburgh’s Stage AE was on fire last night, the culprits a sextet from Colorado.

Returning to Pittsburgh for the first time since the Roots Run Deep tour in 2011, the Tuesday night crowd was anxious for SCI to take to the stage and stoke the flames.

For their opening selection, SCI offered up a rarity in “Daryl,” with multi-instrumentalist Michael Kang blazing down the strings of his fiddle and guitar player Bill Nershi showing off his prodigious picking acumen. Everyone’s most inner hillbilly was tapped into right then and right there as there was an audible noise of shuffling feet all over the dance floor. No one throws a party like Cheese does.

“Just One Story” followed and proceeded with the first extended jam of the night, veering off of the skeleton of the tune and delving into electronic elements that Cheese has so cleverly incorporated into their ever-increasing catalog of originals. A grooving version of “Search” spearheaded by drummer Michael Travis and percussionist Jason Hann punctuated an early first set dance party and continued throughout “45th of November,” which has only been played now five times since 2007.

In keeping with the theme of rarities, SCI dialed up a Keith Moseley-lead cover of Old And In The Way’s “Panama Red” halfway through set one, transporting us back to earlier this summer when Cheese got to share the stage with “Panama Red” himself, Peter Rowan, at Gathering Of The Vibes. What a treat!

After a funk-laden “Let’s Go Outside” starring keyboard player Kyle Hollingsworth, complete with jam that sounded like a cosmic “Shakedown Street,” the band moved into one of the most exciting segues of the evening, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” with a bit of an island/reggae tinge, transitioning into Hann’s electronically charged “BollyMunster.” The Eastern tones of Kang’s strings amid the heart-palpating beats of Travis and Hann and the thump of Moseley’s bass made for one hell of a set closer.

Set two opened with “Song in My Head,” the title track to String Cheese’s 2014 album, and approached another Grateful Dead-like jam with great pace a la “I Know You Rider,” feeding into an intoxicating rendition of “Wake Up” compliment’s of Kang’s incendiary electric mandolin. How he makes that thing squeal like an electric guitar is beyond this writer.

With everyone’s seats locked into the upright position for set two, the biggest bust out of tour ensued with the vibrant and string-driven instrumental “Xia” or “SKAT,” as it was formerly known, the first time SCI has dusted this one off since 7/10/06. It fit perfectly right into the flow of the show and provided a nice little breath of fresh air into the building before the final barrage of tunes, beginning with a newer song, “Stop Drop Roll.” Debuted at SCI’s Electric Forest Festival earlier this summer, the new tune definitely feels like it has the influence of SCI collaborator and legendary Talking Heads producer Jerry Harrison. And while we’re on collaborators, SCI lighting director Andy Cass was on point all night long. The lighting rig the band has on this tour is absolutely magnificent. It’s tough not to be entranced by it.

Wrapping up the second set with a soaring “It Is What It Is,” containing one of, if not the best rip-roaring jams of the night, SCI moved into fan favorite “Black Clouds” as their closer. There’s not much more anyone in attendance could’ve asked for, but as per usual, String Cheese spoiled Yinzer Nation with an exceptional encore, featuring the Nershi-penned “Barstool” and concluding with a fully funk-ified Stevie Wonder cover, “I Wish”. Oddly enough, Wonder was in town the night before. Must’ve been some good karma rubbing off on the Steel City. 

For now, Cheese turns its sights to Syracuse this evening (10/21), Boston tomorrow (10/22) and finally, New York City on Friday and Saturday (10/23 & 10/24) before concluding their fall tour with three nights at Suwannee Hulaween. Don’t miss the band’s drummer Jason Hann for his late night set with Todd Stoops as Oktopus as well on the 23rd, with special guests Hayley Jane and Marcus Rezak. More information here.

We can hardly wait!

Setlist: String Cheese Incident at Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA – 10/20/15

SET 1: Daryl, Just One Story > Search, 45th of November, Panama Red, Lets Go Outside, Just Like Tom Thumbs Blues > BollyMunster

SET 2: Song In My Head > Beautiful, Wake Up > Xai1, Stop Drop Roll, It Is What It Is > Black Clouds

ENCORE: Barstool, I Wish

NOTES

1 (song formerly known as SKAT) last time played 7/10/2006, Kyle confirmed name change

[All photos by David Heath of Lofty Views]