‘Sing Me Back Home’: Greensky Bluegrass Fits Rare Covers Into Hometown Thanksgiving Weekend Run

Greensky Bluegrass delivered a two-night Thanksgiving weekend run at the Kalamazoo State Theatre in their hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Greensky dusted off several cover rarities over the holiday weekend.

GSBG — mandolinist Paul Hoffman, guitarist Dave Bruzza, banjoist Michael Bont, bassist Mike Devol and dobro player Anders Beck — launched the show on Friday, November 26 with “Courage For The Road” which would encompass “The Four.” Following the new tune “Streetlight” from the band’s 2022 album Stress Dreams and covers of Johsua Davis’ “Dustbowl Overtures” and Benny Burle Galloway’s “Train Junkie,” Greensky offered their first “Milk Cow Blues” by blues great Kokomo Arnold in over a decade. GSBG last played “Milk Cow Blues” in Kalamazoo on September 10, 2010 for a total gap of 1278 shows, as per Phantasy Tour. A pairing of “Worried For You” and Talking Heads’ “Road To Nowhere” came next ahead of set-closer “Demons.”

The second set got underway with a cover of Cris Jacobs’ “Bone Digger.” The frame also included the fourth performance of the new tune “Congratulations & Condolences,” a 12-minute “Kerosene” and a set-closing segment of “Tarpology” and Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved” that clocked in at around 25 minutes. Greensky returned to kick off the encore with just their second “Sing Me Back Home.” The last time GSBG played the Merle Haggard classic was when they debuted it on October 30, 2021 in Nashville for a total gap of 87 shows.

A three-song seamless sequence beginning with originals “Reasons to Stay” and “Worried About the Weather” kicked off the concert on Saturday, November 25. GSBG capped the set-opening segment with “When I Get My Hands on You” from the catalog of Bob Dylan-related supergroup The New Basement Tapes. The set also included Hoffman’s co-write with Billy Strings, “In The Morning Light,” with Beck noting that Billy had recently covered one of Bruzza’s songs when he was in Kalamazoo. After “Burn Them,” the first frame wrapped with a pairing of “Jaywalking” and “Monument.”

The second set began with the new song, “Get Out” and also included a three-song sequence of originals “Wish I Didn’t Know” and “Past My Prime” with a cover of Ween’s “Exactly Where I”m At” sandwiched in between. After “New & Improved,” Greensky capped the set with “Leap Year.” The encore commenced with “Old Barns” which flowed into GSBG’s first “After Midnight” in 109 shows.

Find full show audio from Friday night via Sam Lincoln along with video from both nights night below:

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November 25 Setlist (via Phantasy Tour)

Set One: Courage for the Road > The Four > Courage for the Road, Streetlight, Dustbowl Overtures, Train Junkie, Milk Cow Blues, Worry for You > Road to Nowhere, Demons

Set Two: Bone Digger, Better Off, Give a Shit, 33443, Kerosene, What You Need, Congratulations and, Condolences, Fo Sho, Uh Huh, Tarpology > Could You Be Loved

Encore: Sing Me Back Home, Windshield

November 26 Setlist (via Phantasy Tour)

Set One: Reasons to Stay > Worried About the Weather > When I Get My Hands on You, Tied Down, Take Cover, In the Morning Light, Burn Them, Jaywalking > Monument

Set Two: Get Out, Reuben’s Train, Living Over, In Control, A Letter to Seymour, Wish I Didn’t Know > Exactly Where I’m At > Past My Prime, New & Improved, Leap Year

Encore: Old Barns> After Midnight

Source: JamBase.com