Billy Strings & Snarky Puppy Members Join The String Cheese Incident In New Orleans

The String Cheese Incident welcomed guitarist Billy Strings and Snarky Puppy keyboardist Shaun Martin and percussionist Nate Werth for guest appearances during their headlining appearance at Daze Between New Orleans last night. Cheese capped the action with two sets at the first day of the inaugural event held at New Orleans’ Faubourg Brewery and will do so again this evening.

The sextet went with “Sometimes A River” to kick off their first set on Tuesday. Martin and Werth then emerged to help out on the Kyle Hollingsworth-penned “MLT” before the band went it alone to dust off a cover of Bill Monroe’s “Rocky Road Blues,” which was last played by Cheese on March 11, 2011 as per Phantasy Tour. Next up was the recently debuted “Dragonfly” from SCI’s new Into The Blue EP. The band then encapsulated the traditional “Remington Ride” within a take on Weather Report’s “Birdland” and closed the frame by pairing “Jellyfish” and “All We Got.”

Billy Strings took the stage with an electric guitar in hand during The String Cheese Incident’s “Close Your Eyes” second set opener. Strings unleashed a powerful solo towards the end of the song and dueled with mandolinist Michael Kang. The guitarist, who previously performed with SCI at DelFest and Suwannee Hulaween in 2019, stuck around for The Allman Brothers Band classic “Ramblin’ Man.” Last night marked Cheese’s first “Ramblin’ Man” since August 2, 2006.

The String Cheese Incident followed Strings’ appearance with a take on Jean Luc Ponty and Guy Nsangue’s “Mouna Bowa.” From there, “Hotel Window” gave way to the beloved “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” SCI finished the set with “It Is What It Is” and returned for a “Colliding” encore. Daze Between New Orleans concludes today with performances from The String Cheese Incident, Lettuce, Rebirth Brass Band and more.

Watch fan-shot video of Strings’ guest spots below:

Setlist (via Friends Of Cheese)

Set One: Sometimes A River, MLT [1], Rocky Road Blues, Dragonfly, Birdland > Remington Ride > Birdland, Jellyfish, All We Got

Set Two: Close Your Eyes [2], Ramblin’ Man [2], Mouna Bowa, Hotel Window > Miss Brown’s Teahouse, It Is What It Is

Encore: Colliding

• [1] – with Shaun Martin and Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy)
• [2] – with Billy Strings