Greensky Bluegrass played a “casual” Wednesday night show at The Egg in Albany last night that included the debut of a Paul Simon cover. The band fit their rendition of “Mother & Child Reunion” towards the end of the concert.
Last night’s first set began with covers of Flatt & Scruggs’ “Bringing In The Georgia Mail” and Joshua Davis’ “Dustbowl Overtures” split by original “Lose My Way.” The band then followed “Better Off” with their first “Hot Dogs (On Parade)” since November. Staple “I’d Probably Kill You” was next along with a take on “Nellie Cane” by Hot Rize. A run of “What You Need,” “Broken Highways” and “Courage For The Road” brought the frame to a close.
GSBG kicked off Wednesday’s second set with originals “Take Cover,” “Collateral Damage,” “Do It Alone” and “A Letter To Seymour.” Dobroist Anders Beck then went full-on frontman for a “Casual Wednesday” that included Beck telling the story behind the tune and heading into the crowd to chat with fans. Next up was “New Rize Hill” before Paul Hoffman led the group on their first cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” — performed in the style of The Band — in 23 shows.
Then, “Just Listening” gave way to the Greensky debut of “Mother & Child Reunion” from Simon’s self-titled 1972 studio album. Anders and Paul explained to the crowd ahead of the cover that the song is about eggs and chickens. “Exuberance” into “Kerosene” ended the set and the return of Jimmy Smith’s “Drink Up & Go Home” after 33 shows served as the encore.
Watch fan-shot videos captured by Zak Radick featuring highlights from last night:
Mother & Child Reunion
Casual Wednesday
Atlantic City
What You Need
Setlist (via PT GSBG)
Set One: Bringing in the Georgia Mail, Lose My Way, Dustbowl Overtures, Better Off, Hot Dogs (On Parade), I’d Probably Kill You, Nellie Kane, What You Need, Broken Highways, Courage for the Road
Set Two: Take Cover, Collateral Damage, Do It Alone, A Letter to Seymour, Casual Wednesday, New Rize Hill, Atlantic City > Just Listening, Mother and Child Reunion [1], Exuberance > Kerosene
Encore: Drink Up and Go Home
[1] – first time played
