photo by ontheDL Photography, via Greensky Bluegrass on Facebook

Greensky Bluegrass continued their run of East Coast winter tour dates this week and kept up their collaborative spirit by welcoming special guest Billy Strings during their past three performances, as the young guitarist is once again opening for his fellow bluegrass pickers on this leg of the tour.

On Wednesday night, the band stopped by Boston’s House of Blues and were joined by Strings for a good portion of their first set, starting with “Butcher’s Girl” and continuing through a “Broke Mountain Breakdown” the evolved into a bout of improvisation, through a cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s “One Way Out” and back into “Breakdown.”

The following evening, the tour shifted to Pennsylvania for a show at Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe, and Strings once again joined Greensky, this time helping the group close out their second set with a trio of “Wait/Weight” tunes. The collaborations started with Greensky’s own “While Waiting” before moving into Strings’ “While I’m Waiting Here,” a debut for GSBG, then wrapped up the set with a cover of The Band’s “The Weight.”

Last night’s show took place at The Anthem in Washington, DC, and followed Thursday’s lead with Strings—along with two of his bandmates, banjoist Billy Failing and mandolinist Jarrod Walker— joining the headlining act at the end of set two for a run of “Don’t Lie” that wove in and out of Strings’ own “Meet Me at the Creek,” another debut cover for Greensky. Friday’s performance also nodded to Del McCoury, the bluegrass legend who celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday, with a cover of his song “Beauty of My Dreams” in the first set.

See this week’s setlists below, along with a couple of fan-shot videos of the collaborations with Strings. Greensky Bluegrass return to The Anthem tonight for round two in DC.

Greensky Bluegrass

The Anthem, Washington, DC

Set I: Can’t Stop Now, In Control, Beauty of My Dreams, Take Cover, Do It Alone, The Radio Blues, Collateral Damage, The Four> Run or Die

Set II: What You Need, It’s Not Mine Anymore, Can’t Make Time, When I Paint My Masterpiece> Bottle Dry, Jaywalking> Time> Breathe Reprise, Don’t Lie*> Meet Me at the Creek*^> Don’t Lie*

Enc: When I Get My Hands on You

Notes: * w/ Billy Strings (guitar), Billy Failing (banjo), Jarrod Walker (mandolin)
^ First time played

Penn’s Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA

Set I: Leap Year, Elephant, Better Off, Ghost of Richard Manual> Shape I’m In, Cathedral Eyes, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Collateral Damage, All for Money

Set II: Courage for the Road> It’s Not Mine Anymore> Courage for the Road, Steam Powered Aeroplane, Wish I Didn’t Know, Tarpology> My Sally> Tarpology, While Waiting*> While I’m Waiting Here*^, The Weight*

Enc: What Happened to Jim?, New Rize Hill

Notes: * w/ Billy String (guitar, vocals)
^ First time played

House of Blues, Boston, MA

Set I: Get Back, Handguns, Hit Parade of Love, Living Over, Do Harm, Butcher’s Girl*, Broke Mountain Breakdown*> Funk Jam*> One Way Out*> Broke Mountain Breakdown Reprise*

Set II: Cathedral Eyes, All Four, Murder of Crows, What You Need, Just to Lie> Train Junkie, Like Reflections, King of the Hill

Enc: White Freight Liner Blues

Notes: * w/ Billy Strings (guitar, vocals)

Source: phantasytour.com