Concert Review: The Infamous Stringdusters and The Fireside Collective at The Uptown Theater in Providence, RI

I love my Blue Grass and The Infamous Stringdusters show at the Uptown Theatre in Providence, RI on March 22nd was going to be one of the best, high energy Bluegrass shows.

The Uptown Theatre is a recently renovated historic theatre with great sound and lights; it’s a really nice place to see a concert.

The Fireside Collective. a Blue Grass band from Ashville, NC took the stage at 7pm. They are self-described as, “We hope our audiences get a chance to escape the confines of time and the pressures of modern life” explains Jesse Iaquinto of Fireside Collective. “We prioritize groove so our listeners can dance and let loose.  The pinnacle is when we all transcend our individual selves, both onstage and in the audience, and become one entity experiencing the precious nature of life. We are all one, and music allows us to experience that.” 

The band members are Carson White (bass), Jesse Iaquinto (mandolin), Joe Cicero (acoustic guitar), Tommy Maher (Dobro), and Michael Tillis (drums).

They were excellent and the audience loved them.

At 8:00, The Grammy award winner The Infamous Stringdusters took the stage to an enthusiastic audience. The Stringdusters have become one of the most acclaimed and hardest-touring bluegrass bands of their generation over their nearly two decades together.

The band consists of Travis Book (bass), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (Dobro), and Chris Pandolfi (banjo). According to Garrett, “Bluegrass music brought us together in the first place. And one of the big things that propels us forward is that everyone keeps pushing so hard — it keeps me incredibly motivated.”

Pandolfi explains that bluegrass music expresses the energy of rock n roll, but the band members just sort of stand there playing. The Infamous Stringdusters changed that by merging bluegrass instrumentation, vocal harmonies, superb production, and hyperactive stage vitality.

They went on to explain that this was their first time playing Providence and when they play, they give everything they have.

They are touring in support of their new album 20/20 and to mark their 20th anniversary.  They were fantastic and the devoted audience loved them.