Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci

Last night, The String Cheese Incident took their summer tour to the Ford Idaho City Amphitheater in Nampa, Idaho. The Tuesday night concert occurred on what would have been Jerry Garcia’s birthday, Aug. 1, which allowed the band to pay tribute to the Grateful Dead guitarist during their second set with a network of covers pulled from Garcia’s catalog of live music. 

Before the arrival of the Garcia homage, The String Cheese Incident started their concert with a cover of Bill Monroe’s “Rocky Road Blues,” played for the first time since May 3, 2022. The Colorado jamband rolled into a mix of original material plucked from across their careers, including “Get Tight,” “Pack it Up,” and “I Want You,” followed by “Into The Blue.” To close the set, they paired the 1997 cut “Texas” with 2013’s “Colliding.”

After a break from the stage, the ensemble returned with “Best Feeling” into the Bob Marley favorite “Exodus,” which saw a “Best Feeling” return before “Can’t Wait Another Day” ran into “Hi Ho No Show.” The band worked through a bust out of “Cottonmouth” (last played on July 18, 2021) before they added “Water” to the frame. A high point of the concert occurred next with the arrival of the “Colorado Bluebird Sky” sequence, which contained a pair of Garcia-adjacent tunes.

For the mash-up, The String Cheese Incident added in the Grateful Dead’s “Franklin’s Tower” and the Peter Rowan-penned “Midnight Moonlight,” which Garcia performed with the lyricist and their Old & In The Way group. To cap the covers, the band returned to “Colorado Bluebird Sky” and ended the night with a take on “Whiskey River” by Willie Nelson, representing another bust out. 

The String Cheese Incident will perform tonight, Aug. 2, at Snow King Mountain in Jackson, Wy. The show is sold out. To learn more about future concerts, visit their official website. 

Watch a fan-shot video of last night’s “Franklin’s Tower” cover. 

The String Cheese Incident 

Ford Idaho City Amphitheater – Nampa, Idaho 

Aug. 1, 2023

Set I: Rocky Road Blues, Get Tight, Pack it Up, I Want You, Into The Blue, Texas > Colliding

Set II: Best Feeling > Exodus > Best Feeling > Can’t Wait Another Day > Hi Ho No Show > Cottonmouth, Water > Colorado Bluebird Sky > Franklin’s Tower > Midnight Moonlight > Colorado Bluebird Sky

Enc.: Whiskey River 
Setlist via friendsofcheese.com.