String Cheese Incident Welcomes Anders Osborne, Busts Out ‘Iko Iko’ After 13 Years In New Orleans

The String Cheese Incident is currently in the midst of their 25th anniversary tour. On Friday, the band kicked off a two-night run at Mardi Gras World, following up their show at NOLA’s Orpheum Theatre the night prior. Given that the performance fell during the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, String Cheese Incident kept in the spirit of collaboration in the Crescent City by welcoming Anders Osborne to join them.

String Cheese Incident curated a celebratory setlist for their first night at the 3,000-person venue. Old-school favorites “Miss Brown’s Teahouse” and “Sometimes A River” opened the set, followed by a jubilant take on Rusty Wier’s 1975 country-pop crossover hit “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance.” Next, the group’s February Sound Lab release with Beats Antique “Bhangra Saanj” led into a bounding, extended take on “It Is What It Is.” To close out the frame, friend, collaborator and Southern rocker Anders Osborne first lent his talents to 2001’s “Close Your Eyes” off Outside Inside. Next, the band revived “Iko Iko,” busting out New Orleans traditional for the first time in 13 years, or since October 22, 2005.

After set break, String Cheese Incident started with “Sirens” off Untying The Knot, then followed up the 2003 track with the recently debuted “All We Got.” After “Dirk,” the band used an unfinished “Born On The Wrong Planet” to kick off a well-jammed, non-stop sequence to the end of the set. The group first detoured through Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” using the fan-favorite cover to launch into “Land’s End,” “Glory Chords” and “Restless Wind.” Later in the night, SCI returned for an encore of “Hi Ho No Show” to finish the show in full.

Watch the “Iko Iko” cover below, courtesy of PhatBeats 420:

Setlist (Via SCI FAMILY)

Set One: Miss Browns Teahouse, Sometimes a River> Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance, Bhangra Saanj, It Is What It Is, Close Your Eyes* Iko Iko*^

Set Two: Sirens> All We Got, Dirk, Born On The Wrong Planet+> Boogie On Reggae Woman> Lands End> Glory Chords> Restless Wind

Encore: Hi Ho No Show

• * = with Anders Osborne
• ^ = LTP 10/22/05
• + = Unfinished