The String Cheese Incident rolled into Chicago, IL’s Auditorium Theatre on Thursday, December 30th, for the first of three consecutive nights at the 3,900 capacity venue. All in all, the weekend saw SCI deliver four original debuts over three nights, in addition to a special nod to fellow jam-rockers Umphrey’s McGee on New Year’s Eve.
Night one arrived as a typical two-set performance, replete with party-starting originals, multiple debuts, and even some rambunctious covers. Midway through the first set, following some fan-favorites like “Close Your Eyes” and “Black and White”, came the first debut of the run, “Lend Me A Hand”. This setup the Kyle Hollingsworth-penned “Don’t Say”, which segued to “Restless Wind” before a set-ending “Hi Ho No Show“—the latest SCI tune to receive the studio treatment.
Members Bill Nershi, Michael Kang, Michael Travis, Keith Moseley, Jason Hann, and Kyle Hollingsworth then opened up the second frame with yet another debut, this time a fitting “World Gone Crazy”. Highlights from this second set include “Water”, a cover over Pure Prairie League‘s “Pickin’ to Beat the Devil”, and “All We Got”, as well as a cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “Ramble On” to close out the show.
The String Cheese Incident – “Close Your Eyes” – 12/30/21
SCI treated fans to a special three-set affair on Friday, December 31st, opening the New Year’s Eve performance with a couple of Nershi songs, “Search” and “Born on the Wrong Planet”. A cover of Bob Marley‘s “Could You Be Loved” signaled the midpoint of set one before “Sweet Spot” and a “Texas” “Blackberry Blossom” sandwich closed out the first frame.
The second set saw the debut of “Short Shack Willie” between “Black Clouds” and “Way That it Goes”. Ending with “Big Reveal”, Nershi, Kang, and company returned for a third helping of Cheese, beginning the final set of night two with “Vertigo”. With the room spinning, SCI moved into “Way Back Home”, which segued to a telling of Umphrey’s McGee’s “Glory” before returning to “Way Back Home”. “Rollover” brought the room to midnight and the New Year celebration, followed by a “N0thing But Flowers” that segued to a set-closing “Rivertrance”. The String Cheese Incident then encored with “Good Times Around The Bend”, preparing the Auditorium Theatre crowd for the final night of festivities.
The String Cheese Incident – “Search” – 12/31/21
Saturday night saw Cheese return to the typical two-set format and open with a cover of Aerosmith‘s “Walk This Way” for its first show of the new year. The first frame saw the fourth original debut of the weekend, a set-closing offering of “Trip The Light Fantastic”. After a short intermission, the sextet returned for a six-song second set, which included tellings of “Sirens”, “One Step Closer”, “Illegal”, “Round the Wheel”, “Best Feeling”, and “Colliding”. With time for one more, String Cheese ended the Auditorium Theatre New Year’s run with “Outside and Inside”, the title track to the band’s 2001 album.
Check out the band’s first set opener, “Walk This Way”, below and scroll down for detailed setlists and photos from the shows, courtesy of The String Cheese Incident’s official Instagram page.
The String Cheese Incident – “Walk This Way” (Aerosmith) – 1/1/21
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