Bluegrass jam juggernauts The Infamous Stringdusters delivered a one-two punch to Portland Oregon, playing shows Thursday and Friday night (April 6-7) at the Wonder Ballroom.
Having already spent the better part of 2017 out on the road touring in support of their latest album Laws of Gravity, the Stringdusters proved to be polished and firing on all cylinders. Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garret (fiddle), Andy Hall (dobro), Travis Book (bass) and Chris Pandolfi (banjo) gave two unique performances, satiating their rabid fans and winning over newcomers with their undeniable musicianship and contagious energy.
Thursday was a sweet blend of Stringdusters originals, a variety of cover songs, and some special guest appearances that kept the audience on its collective toes. After an opening set from Ghost of Paul Revere, Maine’s self-proclaimed holler-folk band (“a little folk, a little rhythm and blues, with a nod to traditional” according to the band), the stage was set for the main event. Without a set of drums or keyboard rig getting in the way, the Dusters have plenty of room to move around. The boys in the band tend to be as animated as their dancing crowd, moving around the stage, literally backing up a soloist by surrounding him on stage, trading places, and coming together for some face-to-face high-speed picking. It heightens the energy of the show and makes it all the more engaging.
Leftover Salmon front man and jamgrass linchpin Vince Herman came out to join the band for a good portion of each of two sets. It’s festival time anywhere Herman shows up, and he led the band through a few tunes, including a cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Mr. Charlie.” Mimi Naja from Fruition also joined the fray and at one point even assisted Falco in playing his guitar. And at the end, Herman, Naja and the members of Ghost of Paul Revere all gathered on stage to form a genuine cluster pluck.
If Thursday night was a home run, Friday night was a grand slam. Portland-based Jackalope Saints opened the show and won over the growing crowd with their humble yet powerful musical delivery. The Stringdusters performance was centered around the birthday celebration of banjoist Chris “Panda” Pandolfi. The night started off in high spirits, and only gained energy from there. When the band took the stage, the first few rows of folks in the crowd were clad in black and white panda masks and sang the happy birthday song as loud as they could. The band kicked into “Freedom” off Laws of Gravity, which later morphed into the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Christine’s Tune” and there was no looking back.
The Stringdusters proved, as they are prone to do, that they can bend and blend songs at their will, playing off of each other and the audience until the whole party reaches fever pitch. Having an enormous catalog of songs helps too. Early on, the band went from Pink Floyd’s “Fearless” into their own “The Hitchhiker” into The Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” and back into “The Hitchhiker,” while blissed-out fans hung on every note. It would have been hard to pack more people into the Wonder Ballroom on Friday night, but somehow everyone found enough room to really get their groove on.
The night continued along that joyous path, people’s faces plastered with giant grins, dancing and laughing and feeling lucky to be alive. Kellen Asebroek and Mimi Naja of Fruition added vocals to one song, and Naja stayed to play mandolin on Peter Rowan’s “Midnight Moonlight.” There was a monstrous “Fork In The Road” in the second set. There was a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “I Want To Take Your Higher.” The Infamous Stringdusters brought the heat and were rewarded with audience adoration. It may have been a birthday celebration for Pandolfi, but everyone there received a gift.
