Considering that Del McCoury has had a career spanning well over fifty years and has played a pivotal role in the growth of bluegrass music, he could easily rest on his laurels and enjoy time for reflection as one of the most influential figures in the genre. Instead, Del keeps on touring and making music because he knows there are still people all over the world eager to hear his tunes. On Saturday, November 9th, the 80 year-old guitarist and songwriter was all smiles as he brought his band to the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon.
Following a short thirty-minute opening set from Yonder Mountain String Band’s Jacob Joliff and his band that featured mostly instrumental bluegrass played with impressive complexity, the McCoury boys took the stage to momentous applause. Del McCoury – looking as sharp and dapper as always – let out his signature chuckle before launching into a spirited “Travelin’ Teardrop Blues” that showcased his unmistakable vocals right out of the gate. They slowed down for “Bluest Man In Town,” a spooky high and lonesome ballad, before letting Ronnie McCoury kick the mandolin into high gear with the hyper speed instrumental romp “Dawg Gone”. Ronnie would showcase his smooth vocals on “Evangelina”, and the whole band would lend buttery harmonies to longtime favorite “Nashville Cats”. This was followed up by a fiddle tune played hard and fast with jaw-dropping solo interplay from Jason Carter’s fiddle and Ronnie’s mandolin. Watching the sparks fly between these consummate musicians was a reminder that bluegrass music doesn’t get any better than the Del McCoury Band. Bass player Alan Bartram would get his moment in the spotlight with the honky tonk-inflected “Teardrops In My Eyes”, and Del would follow it up with a version of “That Ol’ Train” that choogled right along with Jason Carter lending his train whistle wail on fiddle.
Throughout the set, Del smiled, cracked jokes, and told stories while offering up tonal contrasts between songs, like the darkly humorous ode to a bad neighbor “40 Acres and Fool” followed up by the ghostly ballad “Body and Soul”. “When Fall’s Comin’ Down” was a classic bluegrass tune that was sad yet seasonally appropriate, and Del followed it with a dose of humor by playing “Sweet Appalachia” over the obnoxious requests from the audience to play “Rocky Top” (“you gotta bear Bobby Osborne sing it at the Opry!,” responded Del). The whole band would showcase their masterful harmonies on “Hello Lonely” only to jump into the eerie prison life tune “Blackjack County Chains”. During this portion of the show, the audience yelled requests and Del was mostly happy to oblige, often make jokes about why he would or wouldn’t play a tune. Some of these included a lively “Beauty of My Dreams” (with a nod to Phish covering it), and the set-closing train tune “All Aboard”.
Throughout the band’s 90-minute set, Del McCoury never stopped smiling. This was clearly contagious, as just about everyone in the room was elated to be soaking up his positivity and timeless tunes. His band played tight and fast bluegrass with prowess and class, demonstrating the kind of musical skill that few musicians can ever reach. One might think Del would be ready to hang up his guitar sometime soon, but Saturday’s show made it clear he still loves conjuring up a blissful bluegrass experience and sharing it with the world.
All photos by Greg Homolka.
