Last night, Greensky Bluegrass performed their first of two evenings at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., as part of their ongoing Colorado run. The shows followed performances at the Dillon Amphitheater in Dillon, Colo., on Sept. 14 and 15. The show featured revered pianist Holly Bowling for the entire evening in what is now referred to as their 6reensky arrangement and the ensemble brought out special guests Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman to assist during the tail end of their second segment and encore, which included Greensky Bluegrass’ debut cover of Paul Simon’s “Late In The Evening.”

Greensky Bluegrass opened cracked open night one with “Grow Together,” a take off their most recent album, Stress Dreams. The tune continued for around 10 minutes and was easily stretched out thanks to Bowling’s additions. Next, 6reensky performed a cover of Jimmy Martin’s “Hit Parade of Love” before returning to 2022 with another take from Stress Dreams, “Give A Shit.” They then took a moment to play “Happy Birthday” to their friend photographer Dylan Langille. During the segment, mandolist Paul Hoffman said, “We love Dylan,” before returning to “Give A Shit” to round out the tribute. Greensky Bluegrass and Bowling continued with a cover of the former’s collaborator Cris Jacobs’ song “Bone Digger” before moving into a fan favorite, “Jaywalking.” They then moved into a non-stop set-closing run of originals moving seamlessly from “Windshield” into “Lose My Way” into “Reasons To Stay.” They closed the run of songs and set with an ever-familiar pairing of Pink Floyd’s “Time” with a “Breathe Reprise.”

6reensky Bluegrass open their second set with “Worry For You” and “Don’t Lie.” Bowling shined on electric piano during “Worry For You,” which saw a dobro solo from Anders Beck. The energy from the track led into a 15-minute “Don’t Lie” and then a coupling of “Wish I Didn’t Know” and Stress Dreams “New & Improved.” They then welcomed Hartswick and Cressman on stage. The two added a nuanced jazz tang to the arrangement as they added trumpet and trombone, respectively, on “I’d Probably Kill You.” The two remained on stage for “Leap Year,” giving each musician on stage a moment to express themselves fully through a solo. They flowed into a cover Cressman and Greensky Bluegrass performed at Strings & Sol in 2019; Ana Tijoux’s “1977,” during which Cressman sang in Spanish. They then segued back into “Leap Year” to bring the set to a close.

After a short break and much applause, 6reensky Bluegrass came back out with Hartswick and Cressman in tow. They broke into the encore with Greensky Bluegrass’ 2019 track “What You Need” before closing the set with the debut live performance of Paul Simon’s “Late In The Evening.”

Greensky Bluegrass will perform again at Red Rocks tonight.

Greensky Bluegrass
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, Colo.
Sept. 16, 2022

Set I: Grow Together, Hit Parade of Love (Jimmy Martin cover), Give a Shit, Happy Birthday (to Dylan) > Give a Shit, Bone Digger (Cris Jacobs cover), Jaywalking, Windshield, Lose My Way, Reasons to Stay, Time / Breathe (Pink Floyd cover),

Set II: Worry For You, Don’t Lie, Wish I Didn’t Know, New & Improved, I’d Probably Kill You, Leap Year > 1977 > Leap Year

Enc. I: What You Need, Late In The Evening (Paul Simon cover)