Greensky Bluegrass is one of the best bluegrass bands to ever do it, and they proved it once again with a killer headlining set at Telluride Bluegrass Festival this past Friday.
Beginning in 1974, Telluride Bluegrass Festival is one of the longest-running bluegrass festivals in the country, and music fans descended upon the San Juan Mountains in droves this past weekend for it’s 53rd installment. Largely focused on bluegrass music, as its name would suggest, the festival also includes a mix of folk, country, Americana, and blues as well, packing an eclectic lineup of music into a four day event beneath one of the most scenic backdrops in music.
This year’s lineup featured headliners including Tedeschi Trucks Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Larkin Poe and Gregory Alan Isakov, along with dozens of other talented artists spread across the weekend. While I wasn’t in Telluride myself, I did catch several sets on the Nugs livestream, and Greensky’s performance was certainly one of the standouts.
Forming in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2000, Greensky Bluegrass found their first home-away-from home a few years later in Colorado. The jamgrass scene had taken off in the Colorado mountain towns with Leftover Salmon a decade prior, and similar up-and-coming groups like Yonder Mountain String Band were gaining traction. Even as the scene has garnered a massive following nationwide, Colorado still feels like its center, with a passionate fanbase, iconic venues like Red Rocks, and festivals like Telluride that continue to celebrate the genre.
And as they’ve done for years, Colorado welcomed Greensky with open arms this weekend.
The band delivered a set packed with fan-favorite originals, bluegrass staples and a handful of surprises, but one moment stood above the rest. Joined by legendary mandolin player Sam Bush — whose groundbreaking work with progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival paved the way throughout the ’70s for the jamgrass scene that would follow — Greensky tore into a soaring cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”
With Bush adding his signature touch and the Telluride crowd hanging on every note, Greensky turned the classic rock anthem into a string-fueled jam for the ages. You’re going to wanted to check this one out for yourself here:
It doesn’t get much better than that.
Greensky Bluegrass has dozens of shows on the calendar through the end of the year, and I highly suggest you make it out to one when they come to a city near you. Take a look at their tour dates below.
GREENSKY BLUEGRASS TOUR DATES
June 17—Salt Lake City, UT—Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
June 18—Telluride, CO—The Palm Theatre
June 19—Telluride, CO—Telluride Bluegrass
July 4— Garrettsville, OH—Grassfire Festival
July 16—Fort Wayne, IN—Clyde Theatre
July 17—Columbus, OH—KEMBA Live!
July 18—Snowshoe, WV—4848 Festival
July 19—Whitefish, MT—Under the Big Sky
July 22—Buffalo, NY—Town Ballroom
July 23—New York, NY—The Rooftop at Pier 17
July 24—Stroudsburg, PA—Sherman Theater
July 25—Johnstown, PA—Flood City Music Fest
August 14—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
August 15—Vail, CO—Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
August 18—Boise, ID—Treefort Music Hall
August 19—Seattle, WA—WAMU Theater†
August 20—Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom Theater
August 21—Bend, OR—Hayden Homes Amphitheater†
August 22—Jacksonville, OR—Britt Pavilion
August 27—Grand Rapids, MI—GLC Live at 20 Monroe
August 29—Ionia, MI—Ionia Freak Fair‡
September 3—Richmond, VA—Maymont*
September 4—Virginia Beach, VA—Oceanfront Concert Series
September 5—Mill Spring, NC—Earl Scruggs Music Fest
September 6—Greensboro, NC—The Pyrle
September 9—Chattanooga, TN—The Signal
September 10—Madison, IN—Unbroken Circle Music Fest
September 11—Birmingham, AL—Avondale Brewing Company
September 12—Jacksonville, FL—Florida Theatre
November 5—Ft. Lauderdale, FL—Wells Hall at Parker Playhouse
November 6—St. Petersburg, FL—Jannus Live
November 7—Orlando, FL—The Plaza Live Theatre
November 8—Tallahassee, FL—The Moon
November 14—Wilmington, NC—BAD Day Music & Arts Fest
November 18—Red Bank, NJ—Count Basie Center for the Arts
November 19—York, PA—Appell Center for the Performing Arts
November 20—Hampton Beach, NH—Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
November 21—New Haven, CT—College Street Music Hall
December 9 – 13—Strings & Sol—Puerto Morelos, MX
†with Goose
‡with Billy Strings
*with Béla Fleck
