Railroad Earth Offers Health Update Ahead Of Tour Opener With Superjam Encore

Railroad Earth frontman Todd Sheaffer returned to the stage last night after missing May shows to deal with an undisclosed health issue. Sheaffer and RRE closed out the first night of a run with Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band on Tuesday at Perinton Center Park Amphitheater in Fairport, New York that saw members of all three bands load the stage for a superjam encore.

While Todd Sheaffer was back in Fairport, RRE keyboardist Matt Slocum will miss the four July dates of the triple bill due to scheduled back surgery and previous commitments. New York City-based musician Michael Bellar will cover for Slocum with Railroad Earth until Matt returns in August.

Railroad Earth performed in May as Railroad Revue with Lindsay Lou. The tour with LoS and YMSB — a reprise of a triple bill presented last summer — continues tonight in King Of Prussia (Pennsylvania), Friday in Asbury Park (New Jersey) and Saturday in Vienna (Virginia) before an August run through the Mountain States.

After loading their set with fan-favorites, RRE brought out members of Leftover Salmon to start the encore with a take on Ola Belle Reed’s “High On A Mountain Top.” Then, the evening’s headliners were joined by Yonder Mountain String Band guitarist Adam Aijala and fiddler Nick Piccininni as well as a few of the LoS guys for a cover of the Grateful Dead classic “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo” to wrap up the concert.

Watch fan-shot video featuring the end of the “Mississippi Half-Step” superjam below: