Greensky Bluegrass and The Wood Brothers teamed up last week for a run of collaboration-heavy shows in the Pacific Northwest. Not only did the bands cross-pollinate each other, with members of The Wood Brothers sitting in with Greensky during each show’s encore, and sometimes during the set as well, but each group also welcomed local hometown heroes in each city, including members of Los Lobos, The Lil Smokies, and Mama Magnolia.
The two bands reunited on Tuesday, August 16th at Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA, outside Seattle, where they each played a single set. Both groups are on tour in support of new albums, Heart is the Hero for The Wood Brothers and Stress Dreams for Greensky, so there was lots of new material to enjoy along with fan favorites, but it was the bands’ mutual love and appreciation of each other that made the run feel extra special.
“[When] we made a list of bands that would be great for a summer tour, The Wood Brothers came in at #1 with a score of ‘perfect,’” GSBG mandolinist Paul Hoffman said of the partnership in a social media post ahead of their joint tour last summer. “[I’m] a huge fan of the music and the players.”
On Tuesday, that sense of adoration and camaraderie was most evident on stage during the encore, an emotional cover of Bob Dylan and The Band‘s “I Shall Be Released” featuring all of Greensky plus The Wood Brothers’ Oliver Wood and Jano Rix as well as guitarist Matthew Rieger of The Lil Smokies, who sat in on “One More Chance” and “Reverend” earlier in the set, and vocalist Megan Letts of Mama Magnolia, who previously lent her voice on “Lose My Way”.
The collabs continued on Thursday in Portland, OR, where the bands performed at Pioneer Courthouse Square in the middle of downtown as part of the city’s PDXLive summer concert series. First, The Wood Brothers showed off their Portland street cred by calling to the stage Grammy-winning saxophonist and producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos.
The Wood Brothers, Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) – “When I Was Young” – 8/17/23
[Video: Trey Cowhig]
Getting Berlin to sit in is a right of passage for Portland artists, and getting him to produce your record is even better. The Wood Brothers did one of those on Tuesday, but Greensky Bluegrass achieved both. Berlin produced the band’s 2016 album Shouted, Written Down & Quoted and pulled double duty Tuesday, sitting in on “Fo Sho, Uh Huh” and “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox” after having already sat in with The Wood Brothers. Chris Wood also made his sole guest appearance of the run, engaging in a slide duel with dobro master Anders Beck. He and Berlin later returned to the stage to join all the members of both bands for a revelrous encore of The Wood Brothers’ “Luckiest Man” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”.
The bands continued on to Bend, OR’s Hayden Homes Amphitheater on Friday, where they capped off the joint run with one more all-hands-on-deck encore comprised of the Jerry Garcia Band-favorite “Get out of My Life, Woman” and Bob Marley‘s “Could You Be Loved”.
Greensky Bluegrass With The Wood Brothers – “Get Out Of My Life, Woman” (Allen Toussaint), “Could You Be Loved” (Bob Marley) [Pro-Shot] – 8/18/23
View fan-shot videos and click below to view a gallery of photos from Greensky Bluegrass at Marymoor Park courtesy of photographer Dave Vann.
Greensky Bluegrass capped off its summer tour on Saturday at Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville, OR, where the band played two sets and debuted “The Boys of Summer” by Eagles drummer Don Henley. The Wood Brothers meanwhile made their way to Hoxeyville Music Festival in Wellston, MI for a Sunday set.
Visit Greensky Bluegrass and The Wood Brothers‘ websites for a full list of upcoming shows and ticketing details.
The Wood Brothers – “Just One More Day” – 8/17/23
The Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, Steve Berlin – “Luckiest Man” – 8/17/23
[Video: Max Berde]
The Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, Steve Berlin – “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” (Charles Gabriel, Ada Habershon) – 8/17/23
[Video: Max Berde]
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The post The Wood Brothers & Greensky Bluegrass Swap Sit-Ins & Special Guests During Joint Run In The PNW [Photos/Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
