Photo Credit: Ben Fimlaid

Over the weekend, the Sam Grisman Project returned to the Pacific Northwest for the third time during its inaugural year of touring. The two-night sold-out jaunt commenced on Saturday, Dec. 9, at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Ore., and culminated to a close after Dec. 10’s Tractor Tavern stand in Seattle. Cellist Nat Smith joined during both concerts, which were an all-acoustic presentation that bolstered the instrumental strengths of each and every player.

Sticking to their preferred method of melding new and old material into a seamless set, SGP commenced the concert in front of the Rose City audience on traditional “All About You” before the first notes of the Grateful Dead’s “China Cat Sunflower” incited a sing-along on the Aoxomoxoa classic. Sans “I Know You Rider,” the band worked back to Watson’s archive on “Red Rocking Chair.” 

Utilizing the bluegrass ether, the band delivered David Grisman’s “Rattlesnake” and Peter Rowans’ “Mississippi Moon” before the percussionist, Chris J English, ignited on his original “Chance To See.” Aaron Lipp’s touching original, “Blue Darlin’,” offered a soft moment of reflection and appreciation for the ones we love before Ric Robertson’s “Crossword Boss.” 

One of the most powerful moments from this performance was Lipp’s lead on Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” bringing renewed energy to the cover. Ending set one on a high note, the band soared through Garcia and Hunter’s “Rubin and Cherise.” Upon their return for the latter half of the night, English led the band through his song, “Alone,” followed by Robertson’s “Thinkin’ About You.” 

A pairing of “Opus 38” and “Shady Grove” gave way to “Gomorrah,” a song this unit of musicians has perfected. Fan favorite and tongue-twister “Jenny Jenkins” evoked excitement from fans of the Not For Kids Only album prior to a stirring take on “Sitting Here In Limbo.” Paul McCartney’s “That Would Be Something” merged with “The Cloud” before Grisman took over for Roger Miller’s “Reincarnation,” an SGP debut. 

Night one continued with more covers, made unique by the addition of Smith’s masterful instrumentation, which bled through to the night’s final song, Jimmy Martin’s “Drink Up and Go Home.” Night two picked up the same energy as their previous performance: presenting a delightful mix of thoughtful setlist additions. The Emerald City gig got started on traditional “Muskrat,” followed by “They Love Each Other” and “Wild Horses.” 

Groove-laden “We Share As One,” an English original, came before “Bow Wow.” SGP pulled from the Shady Grove album next, with Grisman and friends doing “I Truly Understand” justice. They rolled into a pair of originals before four high-powered covers, including “Row Jimmy,”  Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin’ Away,” traditional and Dead-associated tune “Rosa Lee McFall,” and a stunning rendition of Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come,” sung by English. 

Upon their return to the stage for the night’s final set, Sam Grisman Project picked up Robertson’s “The Fool” and an ensuing “Peggy-O,” featuring a solo from Smith, who flexed his chops on the traditional. Grisman took on Hartford’s “Good Ole Boys,” featuring call-and-response from the audience. David Grisman’s “Tipsy Gypsy” came before Gillian Welch’s “Barroom Girls,” another SGP debut. They continued with traditional “Jackaroo” and “Whiskey in the Jar,” sandwiching both sides of Lipp’s “Good Enough For Lonesome.”

“Must Have Been the Roses” came before a pairing of “Dawg After Dark” and BB King’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” doubling as the final song of the frame. For their encore, Sam Grisman Project emerged for one last tune, a first-time play by this group of players, covering Hartford’s “Way Long Time Ago Times.”

In their first year on the road, Sam Grisman Project has emerged as road dawgs, performing over 100 concerts from coast to coast and enchanting audiences in every city along the way. The band will close out the year with a slate of New Year’s Eve shows in Geneseo, N.Y., from Dec. 29 through Jan. 1. Tickets remain on sale and can be purchased here. 

Scroll down to view the official setlists from this weekend’s Pacific Northwest run. 

Sam Grisman Project 

Aladdin Theatre – Portland, Ore.

Dec. 9, 2023 

Set I: All About You (Traditional), China Cat Sunflower (Grateful Dead), Red Rocking Chair (Doc Watson), Rattlesnake (David Grisman), Mississippi Moon (Peter Rowan), Chance To See (Chris J English), Blue Darlin’ (Aaron Lipp), Crossword Boss (Ric Robertson), It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan), Rubin and Cherise (Jerry Garcia Band) 

Set II: Alone (Chris J English), Thinkin’ About You (Ric Robertson), Opus 38 (David Grisman) >

Shady Grove (Traditional), Gomorrah (Jerry Garcia), Jenny Jenkins (Traditional), Sitting Here In Limbo (David Grisman and Jerry Garcia), That Would Be Something (Paul McCartney) > The Cloud (Ric Robertson), Reincarnation (Roger Miller) +, Lately (Gregor Bone), One After 909 (The Beatles), Catfish John (Old and In The Way/ Bob McDill and Allen Reynolds), I’ll Go Crazy (James Brown/ Garcia Grisman)

Enc.: Drink Up and Go Home (Jimmy Martin)

Notes: 

Full show with Nathaniel Smith, cello 

All acoustic 

+ Debut, first time played 

Sam Grisman Project 

Tractor Tavern – Seattle

Dec. 10, 2023 

Set I: Muskrat (Doc Watson/ Traditional), They Love Each Other (Jerry Garcia), Wild Horses (The Rolling Stones), We Share As One (Chris J English), Bow Wow (David Grisman), 

I Truly Understand (David Grisman and Jerry Garcia/ Traditional), It’s Only Pain (Aaron Lipp), To The Moon (Ric Robertson), Row Jimmy (Grateful Dead), Slip Slidin’ Away (Paul Simon),

Rosa Lee McFall (Traditional), The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff), 

Set II: The Fool (Ric Robertson), Peggy-O (Traditional), Good Ole Boys (John Hartford), Tipsy Gypsy (David Grisman), Barroom Girls (Gillian Welch)+, Jackaroo (Traditional), Good Enough For Lonesome (Aaron Lipp), Whiskey In The Jar (Traditional), Must Have Been The Roses (Grateful Dead), Dawg After Dark (David Grisman) > The Thrill Is Gone (BB King)

Enc.: Way Long Time Ago Times (John Hartford)+ 

Notes: 

Full show with Nathaniel Smith, cello 

All acoustic 

+ Debut, first time played