In the music world, artists are all too often not shown proper appreciation until after they die. Streaming numbers surge, vinyl prices rise, and tributes are performed on stages across the country for fans and fellow musicians alike in mourning. This is far from the case for bluegrass luminary Del McCoury, 85, who has an entire weekend festival dedicated to his lifelong impact on mountain music and prolific career that is going strong to this day. The annual DelFest returned to Allegany Country Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD over Memorial Day Weekend, celebrating all things Del with plenty of input from the man himself and the entire McCoury family.
One of the highlights of the weekend was a special collaborative set between singer-songwriter Lukas Nelson and The Travelin’ McCourys. The fellow nepo-babies joined forces as the band led by Del’s sons Ronnie McCoury and Rob McCoury replaced Nelson’s usual Promise of the Real backing band. Together, the unique pairing turned in acoustic interpretations of Lukas originals, including a healthy amount of cuts from his latest album Sticks and Stones. After plugging the new disc and exploring Lukas’ expansive discography, Lukas and the gang also tipped their hats to country legends Roger Miller, Lefty Frizzell, and Lukas’ father Willie Nelson with a string of classic covers.
Related: Watch Tyler Childers & Travelin’ McCourys Cover Grateful Dead At DelFest [Video]
Sensational singer-songwriter Sierra Ferrell also joined in to help close out the set, lending her pipes to a couple Lukas originals, a Buck Owens cover, and—the biggest surprise of the set—an absolutely serene take on Adele‘s “Someone Like You”. The Travelin’ McCourys maintained control of the stage after Lukas and Sierra took off, delivering a 90-minute set of their own that closed out the main stage.
Lukas Nelson & The Travelin’ McCourys — DelFest — Cumberland, MD — 5/25/24 — Full Audio
[Audio: SnookyFlowers]
The man of the weekend, Del McCoury, made sure to make his rounds. In addition to performances with his own Del McCoury Band, Del dropped in on Greensky Bluegrass‘ set alongside his son Ronnie for a touching performance of the traditional “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”. Elsewhere, Del welcomed rising cosmic country guitarist Daniel Donato for a hybrid acoustic-electric run through “Rolling in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” [watch here]. Those who couldn’t get enough of the McCourys were able to join a family reunion at the McCoury Family Jam, featuring Del with his sons, brother Jerry McCoury, and more. The first family of DelFest got the last word on Sunday, as The Travelin’ McCourys turned in an incendiary late-night performance that closed out the festival at 3:30 a.m. on Monday.
Check out a gallery of images from DelFest 2024 by photographers Gary Jared, Taylor Lewis, Heidi Holloway, Rob Laughter, Maris Muldoon, Liz Pappas, Jay Strausser, and Sam Watson along with an array of fan-shot videos.
Sam Grisman Project — “Red Rocking Chair” (Traditional) > “EMD” (David Grisman) — 5/24/24
[Video: Seneca Creek Bluegrass]
The post DelFest Reconvenes For A Celebration Of All Things Del McCoury With Lukas Nelson, Greensky Bluegrass, More [Photos/Videos/Audio] appeared first on L4LM.
