Photos by Dylan Langille/OnTheDL Photo

 

On Monday night, Greensky Bluegrass wrapped up their four-night New Year’s Run at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre, offering up three full sets, including the live debut of “All for Money,” the title track of their forthcoming studio LP.

The band kicked things off with fan favorite “The Four” and jammed their way through one of their older tunes, “Train Junkie.” Later, GSBG played a tease-heavy “Freeborn Man,” containing references to both Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” and classic Appalachian ditty “Cluck Old Hen.”

Set one really picked up steam with the band’s Shouted, Written Down, & Quoted track “Fixin’ to Ruin,” which featured members of the band’s management team (Guido Batista and Lucas White) on woodblock. After a take on The Wood Brothers’ “Luckiest Man,” GSBG closed set one with the new All for Money cut “What You Need,” which the band debuted in September 2018 at Red Rocks. The set-closer also featured Keith Kinnear on vibraslap.

The band bookended set two with an old song and a new song, starting with “Reverend” off 2008’s Five Interstates and ending with the aforementioned “All for Money” live debut.

Like many New Year’s Eve shows, Greensky Bluegrass’ Dec. 31 gig hit its stride in set three. They started off with the Allman Brothers’ “Midnight Rider” and celebrated the new year shortly thereafter, sandwiching “Auld Lang Syne” between “Kerosene and “Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox.” From there, the jam continued through the ’80s classic “Time of My Life,” and found its way back to “Breadbox” (containing one last “Auld Lang Syne” tease) and reached its final note after another “Kerosene” segue.

A “For Sure Uh Huh”> “Federico” followed, but perhaps the best moment came with GSBG’s massive, set-closing “Tarpology” jam that made a pit-stop within Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.”

Greensky Bluegrass encored their New Year’s Eve show with classic bluegrass tune “Drink Up and Go Home,” followed by a jokey “Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise” that contained several fake-outs, with the band extending the song over and over again.

Check out some photos (as well as the full setlist) from GSBG’s NYE celebration below:

Greensky Bluegrass
December 31, 2018
The Riviera Theatre, Chicago

Set I: The Four> Train Junkie, Like Reflections, Freeborn Man^%, I’d Probably Kill You, Tied Down, Fixin’ to Ruin+=, Luckiest Man, What You Need@

Set II: Reverend, Leap Year, Working on a Building, No Idea, Courage for the Road, What Happened to Jim$, All for Money*

Set III: Midnight Rider, Kerosene> Auld Lang Syne> Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox> Time of My Life> Ain’t No Bread in the Breadbox&> Kerosene, For Sure Uh Huh> Frederico, White House Blues, Past My Prime, Tarpology> Into the Mystic> Tarpology

Enc: Drink Up and Go Home> Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise

Notes:
^ containing “Freebird” tease
% containing “Cluck Old Hen” tease
+ with Guido Batista on woodblock
= with Lucas White on woodblock
@ with Keith Kinnear on vibraslap
$ containing “Leap Year” tease
* first time played
& containing “Auld Lang Syne” tease