What's the top best-selling Bluegrass album of all time? Look no further than Bill Monroe. He is and always will be at the very top of the list. Bill Monroe is the Father of Bluegrass and for a good reason. Drawing a connection from Bill Monroe to Peter Rowan is not all that difficult. Peter Rowan got his start in the music business in the mid-1960s, playing as a twenty-something-year-old newbie in Bill's band, The Bluegrass Boys.
Seeing the Capitol Theatre schedule and realizing that I would have an opportunity to see Peter Rowan, that's a show I want to see. Adding in the fact that Peter Rowan will be playing with Railroad Earth and they will be performing the songs from Old & In The Way together, that's a can't miss concert.
The Larry Keel Experience opened the show with an excellent set. The 3-piece band features Larry on guitar and vocals, Jenny Keel on stand-up Bass and Jared Pool on Mandolin. Larry's flat-picking style is excellent and his voice resonates perfectly with every original composition. Once you've heard and seen the Larry Keel Experience, you're checking the calendar to see where you can see him play next. The band's next show will be on Friday, February 21 at the WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat Spring, CO. Go see him.
Railroad Earth and Peter Rowan opened their set jumping right into the Old & In The Way album. This was as good as I dreamed it would be, even better. It's very difficult to take photos when your feet won't stop dancing.
The Old & In The Way set was special. Hearing White Dove and thinking to myself, this was Jerry Garcia's featured vocal on the album, Railroad Earth and Peter Rowan traded lead vocals and harmonies on the reworked composition and played the song to absolute perfection.
The opening set featuring Railroad Earth with Peter Rowan was: Pig in a Pen, Midnight Moonlight, Old and In the Way, Knockin' on Your Door, The Hobo Song, Panama Red, Wild Horses, Kissimmee Kid, White Dove, Land of the Navajo
This was the next generation of Bluegrass going directly from Bill Monroe to Peter Rowan, onto Railroad Earth and beyond.
During the second set, Peter Rowan returned for the 4th song and played Lonesome L.A. Cowboy. This was a tribute to Buddy Cage, a song that Peter told the audience, Jerry suggested that he should share that one with the New Riders.
The second set and encore were: Just Another Bird, Elko, It’s So Good, Lonesome LA Cowboy, Happy Song, Grandfather Mountain, Potter's Field, Captain Nowhere, Bread and Water, Like a Buddha, Running Wild Again encore: Long Way To Go
The Capitol Theatre is great for seeing live music, the sound quality, the light show, the ambiance, and the overall experience, it doesn't get any better. We headed out of the show just past midnight with big smiles. That was a concert to remember.
