Bring Out Your Friends: The California Honeydrops & Andy Frasco + The U.N. Join Greensky Bluegrass At Red Rocks

Greensky Bluegrass continued a tradition this past weekend that started in 2017 as they performed September shows at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Both #6reensky shows featuring keyboardist Holly Bowling saw members of the opening bands sit-in: The California Honeydrops on Friday and Andy Frasco & The U.N. on Saturday.

Fittingly, Bowling and GSBG opened the run with “Born Again” from their recent collaborative EP, The Iceland Sessions. Each of the collection’s four songs would be played at the natural amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado by the time the weekend was over.

The first set on Friday ended with an extended take on dobroist Anders Beck‘s “Broke Mountain Breakdown” that gave way to a performance of “Windshield” played by Bowling and Paul Hoffman as a duet at the soundboard. Friday’s second set was highlighted by The California Honeydrops Horns accompanying #6reensky on originals “Miss September” and “New & Improved.”

Greensky Bluegrass and Holly Bowling returned to the stage with The California Honeydrops in tow for the encore. The two bands joined forces on the calypso song “Man Smart (Woman Smarter).” The performance of the song frequently covered by the Grateful Dead was one of the biggest bust outs in GSBG history as it had been shelved since June 5, 2009 — a span of 1,607 shows.

A particularly cute moment took place during Andy Frasco & The U.N.’s opening set on Saturday. The band brought out Holly Bowling’s three-year-old son Rylan with his toy guitar to “rip a solo.” The solo was actually taken by The U.N.’s Shawn Eckels who encouraged Rylan to shred.

#6reensky delivered a pair of career-spanning sets on the second night. The opening stanza saw the band sans Bowling assemble at the soundboard for stripped down takes on “Burn Them,” “Bottle Dry” and “My Love Will Not Change.”

Andy Frasco and bandmates Eckels, Ernie Chang and Andy Avila emerged in the middle of the second set to provide vocals on the Greensky debut of Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places.” #6reensky then went it alone to merge “Reasons To Say” with their premiere take on REO Speedwagon’s “Roll With The Changes.” Then the sextet fit fan favorite “Living Over” within The Iceland Sessions cut “Solstice.” Greensky and Bowling punctuated the show and run with a “Grow Together” encore.

Watch more fan-shot video from Greensky’s 2024 Red Rocks run below:

Setlists (via PT GSBG)

Friday, September 13

Full show w/ Holly Bowling (keys) #6reensky

Set One: Born Again, Just to Lie > Take Cover, Courage for the Road, Entirely Mine, Reverend, Broke Mountain Breakdown > Windshield [1]

Set Two: Worried About the Weather, Monument, Screams, White Freight Liner Blues, Miss September [2], New & Improved [2], In the Morning Light, Don’t Lie

Encore: Man Smart (Women Smarter) [3]

• [1] – Phoff & Holly duet played at FOH soundboard
• [2] – w/ California Honeydrops’ Horns
• [3] – w/ California Honeydrops

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Saturday, September 14

Full show w/ Holly Bowling (keys) #6reensky

Set One: Past My Prime, Do Harm It’s Not Mine Anymore > Reuben’s Train, Worry for You [1], Burn Them [2], Bottle Dry [2], My Love Will Not Change [2], Leap Year [3]

Set Two: Feel Like a Stranger, Demons, Distracted, Murder of Crows, Friends in Low Places [4,5], Reasons to Stay > Roll with the Changes [4], Solstice > Living Over > Solstice

Encore: Grow Together

• [1] – w/ extended solo Holly outro
• [2] – “acoustic” from FOH soundboard
• [3] – w/ extended solo Holly intro
• [4] – first time played
• [5] – w/ Andrew Frasco, Ernie Chang, Shawn Eckels, Andee Avila (vocals)

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