Greensky Bluegrass completed the first let of their 2017 touring plans, and the last show with openers Fruition, on Saturday night in Chicago.
There were sit-ins on both sides, with Dave Bruzza joining Fruition for a cover of Ray Charles' "Lonely Avenue" and Mimi Naja Kellen Asebroek and Jay Cobb Anderson contributing some vocals (and a little guitar) during Greenksy's first set. Asebrook returned for for keyboards on "Wings For Wheels" and "Old Barns" in the second.
Chicago references from night one became a full on "Go Cubs Go" tucked into Bruzza's "Take Cover" (Take Cubber?).
But the show's real treat came in Greensky's ambitious use of the "tease", referencing the previous night's "Rebuen's Train" during "When Doves Cry", jamming a Black Sabbath ("Iron Man") riff before "Clinch Mountain Backstep", tossing in "Leap Year"'s anthemic vocal chorus in the bridge between "Time" and "Breathe",
The encore -- a twenty minute "Don't Lie" -- featured teases of "Living Over", "Past My Prime", "Kerosene" and "Death Comes Knocking" from the first set, a move drawn up from the Phish playbook. What the hell... there were "1999" and "Theme From Jeopardy" teases in there as well.
Want to hear how it all went down? toddmoore at archive.org has you covered.
Here's the Fruition set, courtesy of microfishie.
More thoughts on this run to come.
