The String Cheese Incident has a long-standing history with Boulder, Colorado, with many band members calling the majestic mountain town “home”. Last night SCI helped Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery celebrate its 25th anniversary with the Colorado Kind Festival, at the breathtaking Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, CO. Moutain Sun is a classic burger and beer spot on the east end of the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, clad with Phish, Grateful Dead, and String Cheese Incident posters as far as the eye can see. Cheese’s lasting friendship with Mountain Sun presented a perfect opportunity for the band to play their first show in Boulder County since 2017’s intimate Fox Theatre shows.
Yonder Mountain String Band got the party started off with a sizzlin’ two-set show in the hot Colorado sun. Planet Bluegrass’s stage sits at the base of gargantuan cliffs, beside a river, setting up a must-see musical mecca for any live music fan. Yonder worked through old-school favorites and covers, sounding loose and comfortable, with Allie Kral and Jacob Jolliff trading off some ferocious solos. The near-capacity crowd soaked up Yonder’s sweet bluegrass, anxiously awaiting what the evening had in store.
The String Cheese Incident opened up the first set with Kyle Hollingsworth’s “Can’t Wait Another Day”, with the hometown crowd singing along. Cheese’s high energy was apparent out of the gates, as Hollingsworth took matters into his own hands, laying down some delicate work on the keys. “Missing Me” was up next, as the six-piece focused in and took their time settling into the main theme of the tune. Michael Kang was on one last night, and laid down a massive solo, asserting his presence after being the lone SCI member to miss Mountain Sun’s All-Star jam Friday night. Hollingsworth poked fun at Kang, saying, “We found him. Kang’s here”.
With the sun setting behind the picturesque mountain range, Keith Moseley steered the band into darker territory, leading into “Rivertrance”. With Michael Travis and Jason Hann setting up a solid backbeat, Kang let it rip on the fiddle, intently leading his bandmates through the trancey instrumental with no signs of slowing down. Kang and Hollingsworth got down to business, trading off fiery hot solos, with Hollingsworth playfully messing with intergalactic spacey-noises. “Rivertrance” last night was big and bold, as the Boulder, CO locals continued pushing the bar, with a hometime crowd showering the band with love and smiles.
Bill Nershi took the reigns for a perfectly placed cover of Onus B. Johnson‘s “Purple Strains”, with Kang masterfully working in a delicate mandolin solo. The band moved into a newer tune, “Get Tight”, led by Moseley on vocals. The upbeat, pop-driven tune got some attention from Hollingsworth, as he dazzled the crowd tickling the ivories, with Nershi laying down some solid work on electric guitar.
With Kang hyped and grinning from ear to ear, he shouted out, “How we doing out there”, before Moseley slowly dug into the bass groove for “Black and White”. Kang and Hollingsworth seemed to be feeding off of each other the entire night, playfully moving forward, before Kang belted out the opening verse. Although the baking sun was no longer a factor, Cheese kept things red hot, allowing Nershi to lead the band into a “Lovelight” jam, as the hometown crowd gave the band full approval, cheering for more. “Round The Wheel” brought set one to a close, reminding Colorado that ski season is right around the corner.
With a brief moment to catch their breaths and have one of Mountain Sun’s mouthwatering craft beers, String Cheese Incident opened second set with “Believe”, the title track off their 2017 studio effort. Hollingsworth took a funky solo, before jumping into the recently debuted, politically-charged Michael Travis tune, “Illegal”. With Moseley locked in with Travis and Hann, Kang was flexing his improvisational muscles, taking things into deep jam-territory, with Hollingsworth following his lead.
A cover of the Grateful Dead‘s “I Know You Rider” was next, led by Nershi, getting a helping hand on vocals from the energized hometown crowd. Mixing things up, Cheese hopped into Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up”, before kicking things up another notch and transitioning right back into “Rider”. Continuing with the covers, Moseley took the lead on New Riders of The Purple Sage’s “Panama Red”, with the biggest surprise of the night coming next.
Inviting trumpet master Jennifer Hartswick on stage, the band dove head first into “Grazin’ In The Grass”, played for the first time since October 15th, 2004. With a baffled hometown crowd and a sense of amazement lingering in the air, SCI took Hartswick captive as Hollingsworth joked, and set sail with the Talking Heads’ “Naive Melody”. Adding another musical layer with a horn, the six-piece kept the energy high through the remainder of the show, ending the second set with a smoothly-segued “Jellyfish” into “Rollover”. With Hollingworth fiddling around with his talk box, Planet Bluegrass turned into an all-out dance party, as the band ended the night firing off on all cylinders.
Hartswick has become a favorite guest of the String Cheese Incident over the years, and the band invited her back up for an encore of The Jackson’s “Shake Your Body To The Ground”. Hartswick led the way on vocals and then quickly took charge on trumpet, belting out a roaring solo, with the crowd dancing and singing along to the funk. After bringing the chorus back around once more, the band took a bow and thanked their hometown fans for such a phenomenal evening of music.
Up next for the String Cheese Incident is a brief fall run, with stops at Hulaween, Philadelphia, and Worcester, MA. For more information and ticketing information, head to the band’s website.
Setlist: String Cheese Incident | Planet Bluegrass | Lyons, CO | 9/15/2018
Set 1. Can’t Wait Another Day, Missing Me > Rivertrance, Purple Strains, Get Tight, Black and White > Lovelight Jam> ‘Round The Wheel
Set 2. Believe, Illegal > I Know You Rider > Stir it Up > I Know You Rider, Panama Red, Grazin’ In The Grass*, Naive Melody* > Jellyfish *> Rollover
E: Shake Your Body*
* = w/ Jen Hartswick
The post String Cheese Incident Busts Out “Grazin’ In The Grass” After 14 Years, Welcomes Jen Hartswick For Mountain Sun’s 25th Anniversary appeared first on L4LM.
