Railroad Earth stopped by The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York on Saturday night. The band once again welcomed Peter Rowan for their Old & In The Way tribute and also debuted another classic from the legendary singer-songwriter.
On February 1, RRE performed a set of songs with Rowan from his 1970s bluegrass outfit Old & In The Way — consisting of Rowan, fiddler Vasser Clements, banjo player Jerry Garcia, mandolinist David Grisman and bassist John Kahn — at Denver’s Mission Ballroom. Railroad would do the same at The Cap once again joined by Rowan on vocals and guitar. RRE and Rowan performed Old & In The Way’s 1975 self-titled live album in its entirety for the first set beginning with “Pig In A Pen” and including favorite’s like Rowan’s “Midnight Moonlight” and “Panama Red,” David Grisman’s “Old & In The Way” and Jack Bonus’ “The Hobo Song” (RRE fans refer to themselves as “Hobos”) as well as a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.” RRE closed out the first set with the album’s closer, Rowan’s “Land Of The Navajo.”
Railroad kicked off the second set with the stellar classic “Bird In A House” — the title track to their 2002 album — which led into “Elko,” the title track for the band’s 2006 live double LP. Rowan graced the stage once again three songs into the second set to help RRE debut another one of his great tunes and one not appearing on Old & In The Way, “Lonesome LA Cowboy.” While OITW played the song regularly, it didn’t appear on their self-titled debut. It did, however, feature on New Riders Of The Purple Sage’s 1973 effort The Adventures Of Panama Red which also included Rowan’s titular number. “Lonesome LA Cowboy” would pop up on OITW’s second live album, That High Lonesome Sound, which also dated back to 1973 but not released until 1996.
RRE continued with “Happy Song” followed by “Grandfather Mountain.” “Potter’s Field” then led into “Captain Nowhere,” the title track from their 2017 effort. The band closed out the second set with the favorite “Like A Buddha” into “Runnin’ Wild.” For the encore, Railroad Earth would come back out for another classic, “Long Way To Go,” to close out the evening.
Check out video from the show captured by Matt Frazier below:
Midnight Moonlight
The Hobo Song
Setlist via RRE Hobos
Set One: Pig in a Pen*, Midnight Moonlight*, Old & In The Way*, Knockin’ On Your Door*, The Hobo Song*, Panama Red* > Wild Horses*, Kissimmee Kid*, White Dove*, Land of the Navajo*
Set Two: Bird in a House > Elko, It’s So Good, Lonesome LA Cowboy^*, Happy Song, Grandfather Mountain, Potter’s Field > Captain Nowhere, Bread & Water, Like A Buddha > Runnin’ Wild
Encore: Long Way To Go
Notes:
*with Peter Rowan on vocals and guitar
^First time played, written by Peter Rowan
