The String Cheese Incident Plays New Single For 1st Time At Tour Finale

The String Cheese Incident wrapped up their summer tour on August 4 with a headlining spot at the Magic City Blues Festival in Billings, Montana. The tour closer saw SCI bringing a single, “Eventually,” from their upcoming album, Lend Me A Hand, into the live sphere.

The performance got underway with a prayer from Northern Cheyenne Chief Phillip Whiteman. Cheese then got the music rolling with “Let’s Go Outside,” led by keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth. The Bill Nershi-penned classic “Little Hands” — of SCI’s self-titled 1997 album — followed and led into a jam ahead of another Billy classic from A String Cheese Incident, “Dudley’s Kitchen.”

The band then went from old to new with the debut of “Eventually.” SCI had just released the third single from Lend Me A Hand the same day as their performance in Billings. Another Nershi-number, “Eventually” is one of the grassier tunes on the new 11-track LP. “‘Eventually’ is a song about the realization of my shortcomings and the journey to become the person I can be proud of,” Billy shared about the introspective song in a press release.

A cover of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” came next before the band fit the Bill Monroe bluegrass standard “Wheel Hoss” within the jazzy Josef Zawinul number “Birdland.” A pairing of the vintage Kyle tune “Close Your Eyes” and “Tinder Box” capped the first set.

The relatively new song, “All We Got,” debuted in 2019, launched the second set. A coupling of two more classics “Way Back Home” and “Restless Wind” followed. Bassist Keith Moseley then led the way on the new groovy rocker and title track to Lend Me A Hand.

A seamless set-closing sequence began with “Outside Inside” followed by the epic “Just One Story.” The electro-Celtic-tinged “Hi-Ho No Show” — featuring Michael Kang on fiddle and the percussive stylings of Michael Travis and Jason Hann — sealed the second set. SCI returned to encore with The Meters favorite “Hey Pocky A-Way.”

Listen to official audio below via nugs.net.

Setlist (via SCI Facebook)

Set One: Let’s Go Outside, Little Hands > Magic City Jam > Dudley’s Kitchen, Eventually*, You Wreck Me, Birdland > Wheel Hoss > Birdland, Close Your Eyes > Tinder Box

Set two: All We Got, Way Back Home > Restless Wind, Lend Me A Hand, Outside And Inside > Just One Story > Hi Ho No Show

Encore: Hey Pocky Way

Notes:

*First Time Played