Railroad Earth Close Out West Coast Tour with Scott Law Sit-in and Fan Favorites at Portland, OR’s Revolution Hall (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

If you want to experience the warm embrace of music, go to a Railroad Earth show. There isn’t a better way to sum up the feeling of catching the New Jersey jam grass outfit, which has been stirring up good vibes for well over twenty years now. Though the group’s last album (All For The Song) came out in 2022, they hardly need new music as a reason to hit the road since each show feels like a fresh experience in its own way. On Sunday, January 26th, the members of Earth proved this once again as they brought their West Coast winter tour to a close at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon. 

Anyone feeling a little bit of that Pacific Northwest winter gloom immediately had their spirits brightened as Earth hit the stage and opened with a delightfully funkified and easygoing “Walk Beside Me” before easing straight into a smile-inducing take on “Chasin’ A Rainbow” that let Mike Robinson step out on banjo before turning into a fast-moving jam train laden with Matthew Slocum’s piano stylings and Todd Sheaffer’s bright guitar licks. Sheaffer prefaced the band’s eponymous tune “Railroad Earth” by saying it was the first time played this tour before the band unleashed a sound bath of rich and soulful harmonies. Of course, the beauty of any Earth performance is the way they seamlessly meld traditional bluegrass with rock, folk, and Americana. Such was the case as John Skehan applied a spicy mandolin solo on “Luxury Liner” before letting Robinson cut in with an action-packed acoustic guitar pick-off. The band was in top-notch form as they steered their way into a moody and slowed-down version of “The Forecast” that saw Sheaffer’s airy guitar work pushing them into psychedelic territory. They would keep this vibe going as they closed out the set with the one-two punch of “Reuben’s Train” and “Seven Story Mountain” that morphed into a freaky backwoods acid party hillbilly jam before Dave Speranza’s bouncy upright bass allowed the band to build tension and power that ultimately gave way to a colorful jig. 

The band returned to the stage for a second set that started in raucous fashion with the fans throwing out playing cards to the chorus of ‘Need a card, I need a card’ during the bluegrassified old West romp “Elko.” The band only continued ramping up the energy with the fast-paced party “Bread & Water” with its crashing drums and feisty mandolin. The band only continued to radiate joy as they brought out local legend Scott Law to lend his tasteful guitar playing to “Mourning Flies” and a lively cover of “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” with the latter channeling serious Jerry Garcia Band vibes. 

The old jam band adage is to never miss a Sunday show, and Earth put substance to this when they entered the final portion of the night with some of their most beloved tunes. After the loose and swaggering country-grass of “Way of the Buffalo,” they paddled into the always-powerful and timeless “Mighty River” only to follow it up with a jubilant “Smile Like a Buddha.” Most of the crowd stuck around even after they left the stage and welcomed them back to encore with a version of “Came Up Smilin’” humming with gospel-like keys. Thus concluded another impressive show from a band that values song craft and the power to manifest a positive atmosphere that feels like the concert equivalent of sipping whiskey by a campfire with old friends. We can only hope that Railroad Earth still has a long way to go. 

January 26, 2025 – Revolution Hall – Portland, OR

Set 1:

Walk Beside Me> Chasin’ A Rainbow, Railroad Earth, Luxury Liner, The Forecast, Lovin’ You, Reuben’s Train>Seven Story Mountain

Set 2:

Elko, Bread & Water, Lonecroft Farewell, Mourning Flies*, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)*, Slippin’ Away, Way of the Buffalo>Mighty River>Like a Buddha

Encore:

Came Up Smilin’

*with Scott Law on guitar, as well as joining vocals on How Sweet It Is

All photos by Greg Homolka

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