Leftover Salmon Brings Euphoria to DC Show & Pay Tribute to the Seldom Scene
Article and Photos by Diana Stropko
Friday night Boulder, Colorado jam band legends, Leftover Salmon, took the stage at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club to a crowded room of loyal fans. Approaching their 25th year together, the band and their seasoned fans celebrated their return one-year later to the 9:30 Club and their DC fan base with their classic jam band, bluegrass, calypso style music.
Salmon took the stage at 10 p.m. and opened up with “Sing Up to the Moon” off of 2012’s Aquatic Hitchhiker. At the end of the song Vince Herman, one of the original founding members, let out a triumphant “Wahooo,” to the cheering audience.
The first set was like a homecoming, with the band expressing a deep onstage connection with their fans, and the fans giving the love right back to five-man band. “This feel good tonight,” Herman said as fans cheered and cried song requests.
The opening set was highlighted with new songs like “Gulf of Mexico,” and “Liza,” from Aquatic Hitchhiker, and old classics like “The Other Side”, from 1999’s The Nashville Sessions. The band also paid tribute to local Bluegrass legends, the Seldom Scene, and their late-great founding member, Dobro player Mike Aldridge. The set ended with Salmon playing “Euphoria”, off of their 1997 album of the same name. The band played to the crowd slowing the tempo of the song up and down while the lights flashed, and the elated crowd sang along.
After playing for a little over an hour, the band took a set break and returned 25 minutes later to delight crowds with a jamified cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman.” The second set definitely took a turn into more jam-heavy songs. The band even did a surprise cover of Bob Marley’s “Small Axe”. Other highlights included “Dance on Your Head,” “Telephone,” “Zombie,” “Aquatic Hitchhiker,” “Boogie,” “Breakin’ Thru,” and “Here Comes the Night”.
For those lucky fans like myself, who stayed for the band’s one-song encore, were treated to a killer cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”. It was the perfect rock-bluegrass infused end to the evening, singing along with the band, celebrating their Fall Tour and 25 years of great music.