Jeff Coffin Joins Sierra Hull For Spellbinding Béla Fleck And The Flecktones Cover & More In Nashville

Sierra Hull continued her The Tip Toe High Wire tour on Saturday night with a sold-out concert at Nashville’s Basement East. The acclaimed mandolinist and her band welcomed saxophonist Jeff Coffin for a two-song collaboration comprised of stellar takes on Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and Curtis Mayfield classics towards the end of their main set.

The Byrdstown, Tennessee native along with fiddler Avery Merritt, bassist Erik Coveney, guitarist Shaun Richardson and drummer Mark Raudabaugh delivered a 22-song performance at Basement East that went heavy on material from Hull’s 2020 album, 25 Trips. In addition to the Coffin guest spot, Hull’s show also included a duet with opener Gabe Lee to start the evening’s encore.

Sierra Hull went with 25 Trips standout “How Long” to get Saturday’s show underway. The quintet stuck to the LP for the ensuing versions of “Beautifully Out Of Place” and “The Last Minute.” Next came a cover of Del McCoury’s “I Feel The Blues Moving In” before Hull and company treated the capacity crowd to more songs from 25 Trips and 2011’s Daybreak.

Jeff Coffin came out late in the frame shortly after flying into Nashville from Ecuador. The Dave Matthews Band saxophonist had soprano sax in hand for a sizzling rendition of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones’ live staple “Stomping Grounds.” Coffin was a member of the Flecktones from 1997 through 2010. Sierra Hull, Jeff Coffin and the musicians in Hull’s band each made the most of their turns to solo during the eight-minute “Stomping Grounds.”

Watch Sierra Hull and Jeff Coffin team on “Stomping Grounds” below:

Coffin stuck around and swapped his soprano sax for a tenor sax as he added to a cover of the Curtis Mayfield-penned “People Get Ready.” Sierra and Jeff engaged in a call-and-response towards the start of The Impressions tune before Hull belted out the lyrics. Hull and her band went it alone to end the set with “Long Way.”

Saturday’s encore began with Sierra Hull and Gabe Lee teaming up around a single microphone to duet on John Prine’s “Summer’s End.” Hull then went into the audience for unplugged versions of “Haven Hill” and “Best Buy” to punctuate the concert.

Sierra Hull heads west next to resume her The Tip Toe High Wire tour. Up first are shows with Sierra Ferrell at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood on April 3 and 4. View all dates by scrolling below.