11.09.23 – By Max Filter

At 84 years old it is safe to say that Del McCoury is a living legend. Having cut his teeth in the musical world at the age of 20 playing rhythm guitar for Bill “The Father Of Bluegrass” Monroe,  Del has been a part of bluegrass music for as long as it has been around. Over the past 60 years Del has celebrated bluegrass music and made significant contributions to the genre as a whole, including leading the Del McCoury Band for the past 40 years. The current line-up features Del on guitar and vocals, his sons Ronnie and Robbie on mandolin and banjo respectively, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Alan Bartram on stand-up bass. On Thursday night at the Dakota Jazz Club in Downtown Minneapolis, Del proved that he’s still got what it takes while also showcasing the natural charm, wit, and talent that made him famous in the first place. 

Following a sold out early show, the band took the stage again shortly after 8:40 pm. Del was dressed sharply in his trademark suit and his silver pompadour hairdo. The band kicked things off with a cover of Shawn Camp’s “Travelin’ Teardrop Blues,” which they recorded in 2001 for their Del And The Boys album. Del handled vocals on both the opener and the subsequent “Bluest Man In Town,” written by Bill Monroe for Del to record. Del’s voice is like well aged whiskey, his high tenor tone and south mountain drawl combining into a smooth, soft croon that warms your soul. Hearing him perform is always a treat, but the intimate setting and delicate acoustics of the Dakota allowed for the best possible environment to take it all in. After two consecutive songs, Del took some time to greet the audience and began to introduce the band over the course of the next few songs, with each member taking a spotlight feature. 

First up, Ronnie McCoury led the band through a blistering take on his own instrumental “Noppit Hill,” showing off his lightning fast picking on the mandolin. Taking some time to catch their breath, Del led the band through the original blues number “A Deeper Shade Of Blue” off their 1993 album of the same name. Then it was Robbie McCoury’s turn to shine on banjo, leading the band through another high speed instrumental and showing off the tight interplay between musicians that can only come from decades of practice together. Next, bass player Alan Bartram took lead vocals on the bluegrass traditional “Teardrops In My Eyes,” slowing things down once again. Finally, fiddle player Jason Carter got a turn to impress and promptly delivered, rounding out the mini-showcase of the talent that Del has been able to cultivate over his time on the road.

The show continued with Del taking over lead vocals again, running through a rendition of the murderous prison revenge ballad “Blackjack County Chain.” A high speed instrumental rag brought the mood back up out of the darkness, continuing the up/down pattern of the pacing of songs throughout the night. Del made a light hearted comment about the next song being a seasonal number, then led the band through “When Fall’s Coming Down” off their 2005 album The Company We Keep. Del then took a minute to tell a story about the following song “High On The Mountain,” one of his more famous tunes that he’s been playing for over 50 years. He remarked on how the rock band Phish had once brought him out on stage to play the song with them in front of 77,000 fans, and giggled a little bit about how different that experience was from playing the 300 person Dakota. After playing “High On The Mountain” he treated the crowd to another original tune, “Beauty Of My Dreams,” that he has also played with Phish and has become a regular cover in their live sets. 

The band moved on down the line with their most recently recorded tune in their repertoire, “Almost Proud” off the 2022 album of the same name. Explaining that the pandemic had given them all some time at home, Del kept himself busy digging through old record crates and selecting a list of cover songs to record as soon as the band were able to return to the studio. “Almost Proud” was written by banjo player Eric Gibson and tells a self-effacing story of an old man reflecting on past foolishness and quipping that now that he’s older he’s…well, almost proud. It’s a perfect song for a man with as storied a history as Del McCoury to lend his talents to. As if to echo the reflection, the band next jumped into a cover of Richard Thompson’s ill-fated teenage love ballad “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.” Del then closed out the main set by leaning into his Gospel side, with a cover of the traditional “I’m Working On a Building” and his own high speed train spiritual “All Aboard,” bookending the set with another song off of the 2001 Del And The Boys album. 

The Del McCoury Band returned to the stage after a brief encore break and thanked the audience in charming fashion. Filling the encore with three traditional arrangements, the band quickly burned through “Lonesome Road Blues,” “Cold, Rain, and Snow,” and one more high speed instrumental rag to close out the night on a high note. Throughout the varied evening of music Del McCoury shone brightly, never seemingly slowed down or affected by his venerable age. His voice is as soft and warm as ever, and his guitar playing was crisp, clean, and energetic. While his boys Robbie and Ronnie are here to assure us that their father’s music will live on for a long time, I don’t think Del is planning on hanging up his hat anytime soon.