Leftover Salmon Hosts Guest-Filled Thanksgiving Weekend Shows In Boulder

Leftover Salmon returned home to Boulder, Colorado on Friday and Saturday nights for their traditional Thanksgiving Weekend concerts at the Boulder Theater. Each show featured a bevy of special guests with Jason Carter, Rob McCoury, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Billy Failing, Nick Forster and Ronnie McCoury among those who joined the veteran jamgrass band over the course of the two-night stand.

The run began with the fitting “Get ‘Er Rolling” to kick off a string of LoS-only originals that also included “Liza,” “Gold Hill Line” and “Everything Is Round.” Fiddler Jason Carter then became the first guest of the weekend as he accompanied Salmon on the recently debuted “River Takes Me.” Siblings Rob and Ronnie McCoury joined the fray on banjo and mandolin, respectively, for a cover of Conway Twitty’s “Boogie Grass Band.”

Jason Carter’s wife, fidddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, was added to the mix next as LoS and friends worked through the Del McCoury Band favorite “On The Lonesome Wind,” “Sitting In Limbo” as a tribute to the late Jimmy Cliff, original “Down In The Hollow” and Bill Monroe’s “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome.” Friday’s first set concluded with Nick Forster joining the expanded ensemble on electric guitar and vocals for covers of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” and Peter Rowan’s “Walls Of Time.”

Leftover Salmon rolled out “Big Wheel” to get the second set underway. The guest-less beginning of the frame also featured takes on “New Country Blues,” Euphoria” and “Good Day.” Once again, Jason Carter started the parade of special guests by adding to “Twisted Pine” before Keith-Hynes joined in for “Morning Sun” and “Queen Of The Nashville Night.” The sold-out show moved forward with an “Angel Island” featuring Jason Carter, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.

Banjoist Billy Failing of Billy Strings’ band and banjoist Sam Armstrong-Zickafoose teamed with LoS, Rob, Ronnie, Jason and Bronwyn on “Farewell Blues,” with all but Armstrong-Zickafoose sticking around to contribute to a run of the Grateful Dead’s “Deal,” original “Midnight Blues” and Bill Monroe’s “Big Mon.” It was back to the Dead’s songbook for a set-closing “Brown Eyed Women” featuring the same group of guests along with Vince Herman's son Silas Herman. Silas’ band, The Tone Unit, opened the show with a support set.

Eli Emmitt Band featuring Vince Herman’s fellow LoS co-founder, Drew Emmitt's son Eli played a support set to get Saturday’s show underway. Leftover Salmon then took the stage with a “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” opener followed by “Breakin’ Thru,” “Zombie Jamboree,” “Gulf Of Mexico” and “Mud Season.” Next, Jason Carter came out for the new original “Salmon Scales” before Carter, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Rob and Ronnie McCoury each contributed to the traditional “Little Maggie,” Del McCoury Band repertoire favorite “Memories Of Mother & Dad,” The Band’s “Rag Mama Rag,” Steve Young’s “Lonesome Onry & Mean,” Todd Snider’s “Side Show Blues” and the Grateful Dead’s “Cumberland Blues.” The Leftover Salmon debut of “Side Show Blues” was played in tribute to Snider, who died earlier in the month.

Leftover Salmon returned sans guests to start Saturday’s second set with “Last Days Of Autumn,” “Get Me Outta This City,” “Simple Twist Of Fate,” “Evermore,” “Mama Boulet” and “Show Me Something Higher.” The band, the McCoury brothers, Keith-Hynes and Carter went heavy on Grateful Dead covers over the remainder of the frame as “West L.A. Fadeaway,” “U.S. Blues” and “Loser” were broken up by “Bird Call,” John Philips’ “Me & My Uncle” and the traditional “Reuben’s Train.” Eli Emmitt lent his electric guitar to “U.S. Blues.”

The weekend came to a majestic conclusion with a “High Country” encore. Jason Carter, Rob McCoury, Ronnie McCoury and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes each added to the finale. Watch the livestreams on-demand with a nugs All Access subscription.

Recap Video

Audience Recordings (Taped by Z-Man)

November 28

November 29

Setlists & Photos