Dogs In A Pile with Jay Collins and Scott Sharrard, photo by Bahram Foroughi

Dogs In A Pile ventured to Woodstock, N.Y.’s Bearsville Theater this week to put on a year-end celebration. The acclaimed jam quintet’s last performances of a long year on the road properly set a high bar for 2026 with some very special surprises, including high-profile guests and a slew of new originals.

On Dec. 30, Dogs In A Pile launched into their first performance at the historic jam haven with their fan-favorite Tom Marshall co-write “You Didn’t Hear It From Me,” then deftly navigated perfect segues into “Writing on the Wall” and “Four More Days.” After bridging setlist staples “Let U Go” and “All the Same,” the ensemble group called storied saxophonist Jay Collins and Little Feat guitarist Scott Sharrard to the stage. Together, the ensemble paid tribute to Collins’ collaborator Levon Helm and his deep connection to Bearsville with The Band’s “Ophelia,” then saluted Sharrard’s bandmates with their second-ever cover of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon.”

Dogs In A Pile returned from the set break with a medley of “Dangers of Rah Rah” and “Snow Day,” then shifted into a cover of Ween’s “Voodoo Lady” that gave way to their six-year signature, “Look Johnny.” “Lucia’s Secret” arrived as the show’s lone inclusion from the band’s recent studio album Distroid, and “Moon of Colorado” spirited them into a high-spirited encore of “Such a Night.”

On New Year’s Eve, Dogs In A Pile reunited with their fans at Bearsville with an electrifying opener of “Little Things” and “Blues for Brian.” Immediately afterwards, they started up a theme that ran through their unique three-set performance by presenting “Grease,” the first of a staggering seven new originals. Other unprecedented inclusions were titled “Postcard,” “Weightless,” “Freeze Dried Brain,” “Waiting for the Train,” and the set three opener “Aliens Among Us,” which segued into “Auld Lang Syne” as the clock struck midnight. After wrapping up an exuberant final set with a transition from “6 Little Lies” to Distroid centerpiece “Thomas Duncan, Pt. 3,” Dogs In A Pile sent the crowd off into the new year with an encore of their tried and true “Bennie and the Jets” cover.

Dogs In A Pile will perform again on January 15, when they’ll launch a winter tour across the West by opening for Leftover Salmon. Find tickets and more information at dogsinapileofficial.com.

Get an inside look at the New Year’s Eve festivities in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Bahram Foroughi.