Greensky Bluegrass 2.8.12

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Bluebird Theatre
Denver, CO

Words By Brandon Picard
Photos By Katie Oleinick & J-man

Bluegrass and the Front Range go hand-in-hand, especially when the bluegrass is Greensky Bluegrass. Greensky has been known to make the presence felt in Colorado and this seven date stint was sure to be no different. Starting in Denver on February the 8th and finishing their Rocky Mountain crawl in Breck at Three 20 South on the 15th, Greensky Bluegrass came to stir up some noise.

Wednesday night started with a trip over to the LODO bar and grill for what we anticipated would be an intimate pre-Bluebird Theatre set with Greensky playing a MoBoogie Session. After an hour or so of sound check and shenanigans, the chains were released and fans were allowed to make their way upstairs where Greensky had set up. For those who haven’t been to the Lodo bar and grill, the upstairs is set up in almost an attic like fashion. Greensky was on the far end of the narrow room with about fifty feet of open space between them and the crowd. They started and I would be lying if I said I could hear anything. It was eerily quiet, almost awkward. We were standing towards the very front and were having a very difficult time hearing anything. As the set progressed people gave up on the music and conversations ensued. I could hear people throughout the bar shouting “turn it up!” It was never turned up... That’s when we made our exit.

We grabbed some dinner and headed over to the Bluebird Theatre where we figured we'd give Greensky a chance at redemption. I ensured my girlfriend that we would be able to actually hear this set. Oakhurst opened the show with an enthusiastic list of rustic traditional bluegrass tunes that everyone seemed to really enjoy, myself included! The high intensity sounds of Oakhurst had the few people that turned out early moving quite nicely.


Greensky Bluegrass Live at Bluebird Theater on February 8, 2012.



Set One: Intro, Into the Rafters, Groundhog>Wheelhoss, Anders & Paul Banter, Just to Lie, King of the Hill, Anders & Paul Banter, Grow Bananas, Cold Feet, Can't Stop Now, Anders Banter, Demons, All Four

Set Two: Intro, Pig in a Pen, Kerosene, Atlantic City, Little Maggie, Anders Banter, No Idea, Dustbowl Overtures, What's Left of the Night, White Freightliner Blues, Anders & Paul Banter, Jaywalking, Gumboots,
Crowd

Encore: Paul Banter, Small Axe

Greensky took the stage to a quickly filling Bluebird Theatre. The boys from Kalamazoo, Michigan opened with “Into the Rafters” off their 2008 album “Five Interstates,” a sort of majestic, soulful bluegrass tune spotlighting mandolin player and vocalist Paul Hoffman. The crowd was amped and so was I. Being a Michigan guy myself, its nice feeling a sense of home when the boys from Greensky Bluegrass come to town. With dedications to Michigan and cities like Lansing throughout the set, the “Mitten State” was being well represented!

The young bluegrass slappys at the Bluebird on Wednesday night were in full hoedown mode. Some knee slapping tunes like “Wheelhoss” and “Can’t Stop Now” made it extra easy to keep the dance party in swing. We quickly forget about the letdown of the Lodo MoBoogie session, with the quality of music that we were being serenaded with at the Bluebird. Greensky showed up Wednesday night and continue to be a striving force in the bluegrass/jamgrass scene today. Constantly growing, Greensky will be swaying bluegrass enthusiasts for many years to come!

www.greenskybluegrass.com

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