Asheville, NC – The appreciation of live music was in full shine this past Thursday evening when The Wood Brothers and Greensky Bluegrass brought their joint tour to The Salvage Station. Although doors were set to open at an earlier than usual 4:30 p.m., it did not seem to deter the steady stream of concertgoers that funneled through security checks and made their way toward the outdoor stage. When The Wood Brothers introduced their magic around 5:45 p.m., many had already arrived, took a moment to greet one another, and navigated the lines for food, drinks, and merchandise. There was no sense of strangers in the crowd tonight, the Asheville audience would prove that all gathered here were considered friends.
Having performed in the area multiple times over the years, The Wood Brothers, consisting of Oliver Wood (acoustic and electric guitars, vocals), Chris Wood (upright bass, vocals), and Jano Rix (multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire), are a group very familiar and adored by Asheville. The excitement from those closest to the rail could be overheard even with a glimpse of the trio before they stepped out onto the stage. The band kicked it off with “Alabaster” and offered up a setlist they showcased a sense of togetherness steeped in differing talents and wonderful collaborations. The Wood Brothers appeared to effortlessly move through their finely crafted fusions of folk, blues, jazz, gospel, and country.
SETLIST
Alabaster
Glad
Little Bit Sweet
Never and Always
Wastin’ My Mind
Fall Too Fast
Sing About It
When I Was Young
One Drop of Truth
Shoofly Pie
Postcards From Hell
Don’t Think About My Death
Luckiest Man
One More Day
The Wood Brothers released their eighth studio album, Kingdom in My Mind, in January 2020. It is a collection of 11 songs that is described as representing “a reckoning of sorts, examining circumstance, mortality and human nature.”
Headliners Greensky Bluegrass opened their single-set performance with “Living Over” before they quickly worked into their version of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” and then moved into several brilliantly-detailed jams. GSBG have evolved into a quintet since their 2000 formation, members include Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Anders Beck (dobro), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Mike Devol (upright bass), and Paul Hoffman (mandolin). In January 2022, Greensky Bluegrass released their most recent full-length album, Stress Dreams. Two of the recording sessions for this album were done in Asheville.
“Greensky is and always has been very unique in our world,” observes Paul. “We put our love, energy, and focus into what we appreciate about our music. We come together as a band in a way that’s organic. We take a lot of pride in how we grow and challenge each other too. We’re maturing together. I think we get more Greensky all of the time.”
The Wood Brothers joined Greensky Bluegrass on stage for the first song of the encore, “Heaven Sent”, before the band would play two more songs to ultimately close out a wonderful late summer evening in Asheville.
SETLIST
Living Over
Windshield
Where the Streets Have No Name (U2 cover)
Broken Highways
Better Off
Stress Dreams
Broke Mountain Breakdown
Give a Shit
Murder of Crows
Jaywalking
Light Up or Leave Me Alone
The Four
Kerosene
Encore:
Heaven Sent (w/ Jano Rix, Chris Wood, Oliver Wood)
Get No Better
Down By the Riverside
Setlist by phantasytour.com
SHOW DATE: August 18, 2022
