Photo Credit: Greensky Bluegrass

Over the weekend, Greensky Bluegrass returned to Morrison, Colo. its highly-anticipated 12th annual Red Rocks Amphitheater run. On Sept. 13 and 14, the storied jamgrass figureheads delivered north of eight hours of barnburners and soul-stirrers, with support from special guest openers The California Honeydrops and Andy Frasco & the U.N., as well as regular collaborator pianist Holly Bowling. Through the course of its double-header, the prolific ensemble sprinkled in a hearty helping of surprises, including sit-ins from its peer groups and three debut covers.

Friday’s festivities kicked off with an opening set of retro soul from Oakland, Calif.’s California Honeydrops, whose sweet, distinctive sound bubbles up from a seamless meld of vintage stylings. The diversity of the band’s interests is regularly displayed in their massive cache of covers, and it Friday set was no exception; debuts of Marvin Gaye’s 1963 classic “Pride and Joy” and Champion Jack Dupree’s “Nasty Boogie” proved the band’s chops across an array of sonic perspectives. To close out its set, the band also brought two originals for the first time, staging “Got the Feeling” and the yet-unreleased “The Old Redwood Highway.”

Though Friday’s first show set a high bar, Frasco and friends had no trouble meeting it on night two. Alongside guests like TAUK’s Isaac Teel and Lyle Divinsky, who featured on a duet cover of the Clash’s “Train in Vain,” the band welcomed the true star of the show on “Slampiece,” calling Bowling’s 3-year-old son to the stage for to shred away on his toy guitar. As guitarist Shaun Eckles played along to mimic the guest’s, the positivity-first jam outfit reached new heights of heartwarming.

Greensky Bluegrass kept the energy high with four incredible sets lined with time-tested classics. Beyond particularly exceptional treatments of standout cuts like “Take Cover,” “Worried About the Weather,” “It’s Not Mine Anymore” and “Reasons to Stay,” the band made full use of its surroundings and made its wide range of influences shown with a smattering of surprises.

The first change-up came with “Windshield,” which arrived at the end of an intense first set and saw Bowling and mandolinist Pual Hoffmann suddenly appear at the elevated soundboard stage–something of a Red Rocks tradition for bands closely tied to the Centennial State institution. This stunt was echoed in Saturday’s program, when a rapturous solo piano outro on “Worry for You” from Bowling was extended just long enough to allow the rest of the band to slip off to the front-of-house mini-stage, where they issued a chillingly intimate treatment of “Burn Them.”

Each of Greensky’s performances also featured sit-ins from the respective opener groups. On Friday, The California Honeydrops supported “Miss September” and the second-ever rendition of “New and Improved.” For Saturday’s second set, Frasco swaggered back onto the stage and shared his lifelong dream of becoming a Jewish country star before adding vocals to Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.” On his way out, the singer gave kisses to both Hoffman and dobroist Anders Beck, who wryly said of his guest: “He’s not big on social graces, folks.”

Greensky’s treatment of Brooks’ country classic was a debut staging among two other thrilling first-time covers. For Friday’s encore, the progressive bluegrass unit debuted “Man Smart, Woman Smarter,” allowing subtle hints of the tune’s calypso origins to peak through a revelatory run in the style of popularizers the Grateful Dead. Saturday saw the band make the odd, but nonetheless jaw-droppingly cool, choice to add its quick-picking spin to REO Speedwagon’s “Roll with the Changes.” After turning heads again and again, fans can be sure that Greensky Bluegrass will manage to top themselves yet again at their 2025 residency.

Greensky Bluegrass will return to the stage on Wednesday, Sept. 18, for a show at Wilmington, N.C.’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, then continue on with 18 further high-profile stops through the end of the year. For tickets and more information, visit greenskybluegrass.com/tour/.

Get an inside look at the band’s Red Rocks run in the gallery below, courtesy of the band. Read on for the complete setlists from Friday and Saturday.

Greensky Bluegrass
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, Colo.
9/13/24
Set I: Born Again, Just To Lie >, Take Cover, Courage for the road, Entirely Mine, Reverend, Broke Mtn breakdown > Windshield^ 
Set II: Worried About the Weather, Monument, Screams, White Freightliner blues, Miss, September*, New & Improved*, In The Morning Light, Don’t Lie
Encore: Women Are Smarter+
Notes:
^ Paul & Holly duet at FOH
*w/ the california honeydrops
+ “Women Are Smarter” FTP

Greensky Bluegrass
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, Colo.
9/14/24
Set I: Jaywalking, Past My Prime, Do Harm, It’s Not Mine Anymore, Reuben’s Train, Worry For You, Burn Them, Bottle Dry, Love WIll Not Change > Leap Year 
Set II: Feel Like A Stranger, Demons, Distracted, Murder of Crows, Friends in Low Places*+, Reasons to Stay, Roll With The Changes+, Solstice > Living Over > Solstice
Encore: Grow Together
Notes: 
* w/ Andy Frasco and The U.N.
“Roll With The Changes” FTP
“Friends In Low Places” FTP