We were fortunate to catch The Infamous Stringdusters on two stops of their summer Beach Tour. On July 14, they played at Kelly’s Tavern in Nags Head. It was our first time there and it’s a nice venue. We enjoyed a great dinner before the show. They are known for their sweet potato biscuits and they are delicious.
The Stringdusters did two hot sets of bluegrass. Highlights included Loving You, Deep Elem Blues, Don’t think Twice and Beachgrass – how appropriate. They also played Greg’s favorite Stranger but with a spacey new opener. Very cool. The encore featured rare vocals from banjo picker Chris Pandolfi, who sang Thunderclouds of Love. He does a great job on this bluegrass tune.
The crowd was really into it. Lots of folks were dancing and singing along. Several fans had been to the show the night before where Peter Rowan joined the Dusters for the Hobo song. Too bad we missed that. Love Peter Rowan!
We also caught the next show on their tour at the Norva in Norfolk. This venue had just been named Rolling Stone’s top venue in the country so it was cool to be there. It’s a restored movie theater with a funky, elegant décor and plenty of room for dancers but it has a few tables for those who would rather sit.
Charlottesville based young rockers Sons of Bill opened for the Dusters. We’ve heard them several times. They are good and fun to watch.
Once again, it was a rousing jam grass show. The Stringdusters really feed off their audience so the more the crowd is into it, the more the Dusters deliver. Well Well was a hot number. They also played Free. We hadn’t heard it in a long time. They did a couple of Dead tunes too: I Know You Rider and He’s Gone. A triple encore included Thunderclouds, Fork in the Road, which is the perhaps their most well known song, and finally the bluegrass classic Uncle Pen.
North Mountain Music 