The String Cheese Incident closed out its three-night run at Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre with a bluegrass-themed Nashville Incident featuring special guests Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Sierra Hull.
Multi-instrumentalist Michael Kang greeted fans, revealing that they and their special guests had been engaged in a three-hour picking party to get ready for the fun to come. Guitarist Bill Nershi gave a heartfelt welcome acknowledging the the families in the crowd before dedicating the whole weekend to the bonds of family, be they by blood or friendship. He and his String Cheese bandmates then opened night three with “Sweet Spot”.
From there, they threw at the sold-out crowd a surging “Eye Know Why”. Kang then took a few minutes to spend “Talkin About Tonight” before busting out the first “Smile” of 2024.
Now fully warmed up, Cheese invited all three of their special guests, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Sierra Hull, out to help elevate the energy to a more down-home, jamgrass frequency. Bush, Douglas, and Hull emerged from the wings all smiles, ready to pick their hearts out. Bush seemed particularly enthused, waving widely while double fisting instruments, a fiddle in one hand and a mandolin in the other. Douglas posted up to the right of bassist Keith Moseley with his trusty dobro while Hull slid over between Nershi and keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth’s instrument-laden platform stage left. Center stage was reserved for Sam Bush, one of the founding fathers of the New Grass revolution.
Hull sang lead on Del McCoury‘s “I Can Feel The Blues Moving In” before the now fully integrated string coalition dropped an immensely fun sequence of Steve Miller Band‘s “Take The Money & Run” into Bill Monroe‘s “Big Mon” and back into “Take The Money & Run”—a memorable jam sandwich that saw some sweet fiddling from Bush. The hurtling sensation of “Can’t Stop Now”, first released by Randy Travis, gave way to a bluesy Douglas-led take on Wilson Pickett’s “Something You’ve Got”.
Bush then stepped up to the mic to give a legend his due, speaking from the heart about his own direct forebearer in the progressive bluegrass movement, John Hartford, before playing one of his hero’s timely classics, “I’m Still Here”. Kang took a moment to mention Douglass was up next to be featured as he introduced the next tune, “Duke And Cookie” by New Grass supergroup Strength In Numbers, which featured Douglas and Bush alongside Béla Fleck and others. Kang called them “one of the best bands ever” to the crowd’s delight.
Before starting the last song of the set, Nershi took a moment to note how much of an impact the pioneering ways of the first waves of the progressive bluegrass movement were on String Cheese’s collective mindset and style when they were forming 30 years ago. Nershi specifically shouted out New Grass Revival before Bush, a founding member of the revered band, took the lead on “Reach”. The song’s uplifting and aspirational tone fit the general vibe of the weekend all too well and served as a wonderful crescendo for the first set.
Cheese came back out for the second set in a psychedelic mood, with the sun having set and the lights and smoke filling stage, and special guest Jerry Douglas already in tow. As they entered into a sweet “Rivertrance”, the swarm of drones from the previous nights launched to again provide a swirling visual. Shapes and spheres appeared, turned inwards on themselves, then faded away in a dazzling spectacle showcasing incredibly precise aerial artistry and precision programming,
After thanking Douglas for his help making things a little trippier, Cheese took time to “Enjoy The Ride” and “Shine” before welcoming Sierra Hull back onto the stage. Hull joked about the origins of the next tune, one of her own called “Poison”, calling it her attempt to approximate a collaboration between Brittney Spears and William Shakespeare.
As they wound Hull’s number down, Nershi called Bush and Douglass back out to run through a set-anchoring “Birdland” > “Wheel Hos” > “Birdland” medley. To close out the Nashville Incident portion of the show, the band entreated Bush to sing one more New Grass Revival number, getting their gospel on with “Revival”.
As the Nashville contingent departed, String Cheese turned their attention to their own songbook, so as to bring the whole weekend to a close with some rewards for the loving faithful in the stands. After an energetic Hollingsworth took the lead on “Trip The Light Fantastic”, the set ended with a crowd-pleasing pairing of “Jellyfish” and “Beautiful” that tied everything together with a sweet sonic bow.
Still wanting to dig a little deeper, Cheese squeezed brought Bush, Douglas, and Hull back out for a rousing “Colorado Bluebird Sky” that quickly turned into an old-time, boot-scootin’ pickin’ party. Finally finished, Nershi motioned for the entire ensemble to gather front and center where Cheese, along with their guests, took a well-deserved bow.
Click below to check out select videos and a gallery of photos from The String Cheese Incident’s Nashville-themed Red Rocks finale courtesy of photographer Brad Niederman.
The band will return to the stage to complete its summer tour later this month. For a full list of upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website.
The String Cheese Incident – “Sweet Spot” – 7/14/24
Setlist: The String Cheese Incident | Red Rocks Amphitheatre | Morrison, CO | 7/14/24
Set 1: Sweet Spot, Eye Know Why, Talkin’ About Tonight, Smile (Billy & Liza cover), I Feel the Blues Moving In (The Del McCoury Band), Take the Money and Run (Steve Miller Band) > Big Mon (Bill Monroe) > Take The Money and Run, Can’t Stop Now (Wendy Waldman/Randy Travis), Something You Got (Wilson Pickett), I’m Still Here (John Hartford), Duke and Cookie (Strength in Numbers), Reach (New Grass Revival)
Set 2: Rivertrance, Enjoy the Ride > Shine, Poison, Birdland (Weather Report) > Wheel Hoss > Birdland, Revival (New Grass Revival), Trip The Light Fantastic, Jellyfish > Beautiful
Encore: Colorado Bluebird Sky
The post The String Cheese Incident Caps Red Rocks Run With Nashville Incident Ft. Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas [Photos/Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
