In the stratosphere of bluegrass rockstars, Sam Bush is a god. It’s safe to say we wouldn’t have acts like Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass were it not for the curly-haired mandolin player who took this traditional American music into another dimension by blending youthful vigor, experimentation, and a healthy dose of rock and roll bravado into his onstage presence. Lucky for us, Bush is still very much active at the ripe age of 73, and he doesn’t need a new album or any other reason to hit the road than the fact that his fans are eager to see him perform. This was evident by the nearly sold-out crowd who came out on Sunday night, October 19th, to catch Bush and his uber-talented band perform at the Aladdin Theater in “war-ravaged” Portland, Oregon.
The band immediately set a positive tone for the night when they kicked off their set with a radiant cover of Leon Russell’s “One More Love Song” before dropping into a feisty “Riding That Bluegrass Train” that saw some impressive interplay between Bush’s mandolin and Wes Corbett’s banjo. The band continued leaning into that sunny spirit with their reggae-grass take on Peter Rowan’s “Revival,” only to do a complete 180 with the fast-paced, driving instrumental “Crooked Smile” that showcased proggy complexity and meaty solos from Stephen “Mojo” Mougin on guitar, and Corbett on banjo before Todd Parks chimed in with jazzy bass strutting. Riding high, Bush steered the band into a quick romp through the Muddy Waters blues classic “I’m a Man (Mannish Boy).”
Like most acts that tour through Portland these days, Bush couldn’t help but touch on the current political climate, where the city has been absurdly cast as a war zone by the president. The audience loved these moments, cheering on his jokes. Songs like a heartfelt country-folk rendition of Randy Newman’s “Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)” clearly resonated. Later on in the show, he would dedicate a charged-up cover of Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” to the city of Portland, much to the excitement of the audience, singing along every word. Other standout covers came in the form of Bill Monroe’s “Will You be Loving Another Man?” and an especially poignant and eloquent solo take on Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” dedicated to his wife Lynn on their 41st anniversary. The band even knocked out a lively take on Doc Watson’s “Freight Train Boogie,” seemingly nodding to all of their musical elders and heroes.
Bush’s talent for balancing well-crafted songs and vocals with instrumental prowess was on display throughout the two-hour performance. His tune “Circles Around Me” was as catchy and timeless as ever, while “Howlin’ at the Moon” saw him swapping his mandolin for a fiddle resembling an eaten apple core to lay down Cajun-style fiddle in a moment that was fit for a hoedown. Bush approached every moment with a beaming smile and plenty of zest while giving his bandmates their moment in the spotlight. The band closed with a huge instrumental number that saw Mougin busting out some seriously complex guitar playing before Bush stepped in with his own soaring solo and segued straight into the John Hartford tune that has long been a jamgrass staple, “Up on the Hill Where They Do the Boogie.” By the time they left the stage, the audience was in such a frenzy that they practically dragged the band back out for one last tune in the form of a high-energy take on Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Great Balls of Fire” with each member showing off with a rapid-fire solo. The performance was a powerful and invigorating reminder that “the king of Newgrass” continues to push boundaries and make each show a once-in-a-lifetime experience for his fans.
All photos by Greg Homolka
