Photo Credit: Hana Gustafson

Over the weekend, Sam Grisman Project and Midnight North shared a sold-out co-headlining bill at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Shows took place over two days, Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16, which coincided with Dead & Company’s final pair of performances at Oracle Park. During SGP’s Saturday night stand, the group, comprised of Grisman, Ric Robertson, Aaron Lipp and Chris J. English, brought up special guests, who added to their takes on originals, staple material from David “Dawg” Grisman and Jerry Garcia’s joint and independent catalogs. 

Night one got underway with four electric tunes, beginning with the borrowed piece “Keepers,” which merged into a jammed-out rendition of “Gomorrah.” Given the concert’s storied location, the aforementioned run-through felt incredibly considerate as the band revived the Garica-scribed lyrics. “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” was added to the mix before Robertson added in his original, “The Hole.” 

Next, the band traded their electric instruments for acoustic and gathered around their centered mics, cutting into “That Would Be Something” into the Robertson-penned “The Cloud.” The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” arrived before the first guest, Teo Quale, who added to “Dawg’s Waltz” and stuck around for a three mandoline delivery of “Bow Wow,” which included LA River Boys’ Joe. Quale’s older brother/fiddler Miles sat in on Sunday, adding to a combination “Opus 38” > “Shady Grove,” along with LA River Boys’ Joe and James. 

Sam Grisman Project’s acoustic frame closed with the “Sycamore Hill,” another Robertson original. Then, the band returned to electric for their third round of tunes, cutting into the Lipp-penned “Walkin’ Through the Graveyard” before welcoming Jason Crosby to the stage to assist on “Jackaroo.” For the final song of their Saturday frame, Sam Grisman Project added the English-written “Right to Know.” Later that night, Midnight North ran through their set to cap off the double-billed gig.  

Saturday night also saw a combination jam featuring both bands who collectively cut into “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy,” which merged into “Viola Lee Blues,” and developed into “Friend of the Devil” before warping back into “Viola Lee.” Sunday was more of the same, as both ensembles delivered fiery sets and once again joined up for a unified eclectic jam, featuring takes on “Jenny Jenkins,” “It’s All Over Now” and “Dark Hollow,” in addition to each band’s individual sets.

Watch clips from the weekend below, including SGP’s cover of “Twilight” by The Band, and their take on “Shady Grove,” shot by Rach Ward.

Video shot by Rach Ward.