The String Cheese Incident began their 25th-anniversary celebration with the first of three shows at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. As previously announced, the jamgrass act was joined by Sam Bush and Darol Anger to kick off their New Year’s Run. The duo sat in for the majority of the first set and returned again during the encore as the band showcased their bluegrass roots.
SCI got their night going with “Can’t Wait Another Day” from their 2014 release Song In My Head. Bush and Anger emerged next and would remain on stage through the rest of the opening set. With the mandolinist and fiddle player in tow, they launched into Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freight Liner Blues.” David Grisman’s “Eat My Dust” and Ola Belle Reed’s “High on a Mountain Top” followed. The augmented ensemble then used “Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nic” as a launching point for a lengthy jam-filled run. Next, the band unearthed their take on Steve Miller Band’s “Take The Money And Run” for the first time since March 30, 2005. The ad-hoc act would weave in and out of the cut from Fly Like an Eagle as they dropped in both “Salt Creek” and “Big Mon.”
The seamless stretch continued as they returned to both “Take The Money And Run” and “Boo Boo’s Pik-A-Nic” before offering up their debut of John Hartford’s “Vamp In The Middle.” Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” was dusted off for the first time in over two years next. A song later the collective would look to Bush’s days with the New Grass Revival for the debut of “Revival” from influential act’s 1986 self-titled release with “Colorado Bluebird Sky” closing out the opening frame.
The second stanza saw the six-piece act stick to their classic material leaning in on their 1996 debut Born On The Wrong Planet as they delivered a non-stop segue-filled set. The sextet bookended things set with “Close Your Eyes” from 2001’s Outside Inside. In between, they worked their way through takes on “Black Clouds,” “Jellyfish,” “Round the Wheel” and “Texas.” “Land’s End” would provide the pivot point for the run as they then revisited all the songs they had made up the first half of the set in reverse order till the returned back to “Close Your Eyes.”
The String Cheese Incident closed out the night with a two-song encore that featured Bush and Anger. First up was “Rivertrance” before they once again look to the New Grass Rival catalog for “Reach” from their 1981 LP Commonwealth. Watch pro-shot video of the openers from both sets courtesy of nugs.tv along with fan-shot video below:
Can’t Wait Another Day
Close Your Eyes
White Frieght Liner Blues Captured by Kyle Issac
Vamp In The Middle Captured by Kyle Issac
Revival Captured by Kyle Issac
Sand Dollar Captured by Kyle Issac
Setlist (via Friends Of Cheese)
Set I: Can’t Wait Another Day, White Freightliner Blues*, Eat My Dust*, High on a Mountain Top*, Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nic* > Take the Money And Run* > Salt Creek* > Take the Money And Run* > Big Mon* > Take the Money And Run* > Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nic* > Vamp In The Middle*, Signed, Sealed, Delivered*, Sand Dollar*, Revival*, Colorado Bluebird Sky*
Set II: Close Your Eyes > Black Clouds > Jellyfish > Round the Wheel > Texas > Land’s End > Texas > ‘Round the Wheel > Jellyfish > Black Clouds > Close Your Eyes
Encore: Rivertrance*, Reach*
* with Sam Bush (mandolin, violin), Darol Anger (violin)
