American Acoustic tour ushers harmony-hued radiance with Punch Brothers, I’m With Her

The much-praised pairing of two progressive bluegrass and “country classical” acts turned Meijer Gardens on Sunday into a collaborative modern version of the Grand Ole Opry. (Review, photo gallery)

 

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My, oh my, what a wonderful day they had.

It seemed that much of Sunday’s large crowd at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park didn’t quite know what to expect out of “American Acoustic” – a tour in which Punch Brothers, I’m With Her and Julian Lage all perform together – but that quickly changed.

Any given moment during the concert was something to marvel at, with incredibly tight harmonies, well-crafted songs ranging from folk to bluegrass and imperceptibly fast mandolin solos by Chris Thile, the group’s leader.

The crowd vacillated between utter silence and several roaring standing ovations.

The company of world-class musicians included Punch Brothers’ Chris Thile, Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge, Gabe Witcher and Paul Kowert, I’m With Her’s Aoife O’Donovan, Sarah Jarosz and Sara Watkins and prodigious solo guitarist Julian Lage.

It’s a tight-knit group with plenty of musical history. Watkins and Thile formed the Grammy-winning group Nickel Creek when they were eight years old, Lage and Eldridge perform in a guitar duo together and any of these musicians can be heard regularly as featured performers on “A Prairie Home Companion,” which Thile began hosting last year.

AN ALL-STAR CAST

For I’m With Her, it’s a special moment in time. Jarosz is fresh off two Grammy wins for her solo work, while O’Donovan and Watkins are both expecting mothers.

Judging by the perfection of the trio’s vocal harmony and wealth of material, it would be tough to guess they’ve only been performing as a group for two years. The crowd first jumped up in applause after “Be My Husband,” a catchy and intricately arranged a capella tune.

Punch Brothers upped the ante further with its peculiar and mesmerizing blend of pop, classical and bluegrass. A highlight of the entire show was their performance of “Familiarity,” an ambitious, dreamlike 10-minute masterpiece which melted from a wall of harmony and solos into one soft “Amen,” timed almost perfectly with the sunset.

Thile’s quirky charisma shined in song and in conversation. He commended the Michigan audience for being “good at stuff,” such as cherries, coffee and beer, and air-hugged the crowd twice.

“You’re as good as it gets with beer,” Thile mused. “The Belgians are nervous.”

AN EPIC FINALE

Lage’s guitar mastery, I’m With Her’s warm harmony and Punch Brothers’ impressive musical chemistry would probably have been enough to satiate the at-first muted crowd, but it didn’t end there. Short sets by each group gave way to an epic 40-minute finale with all nine musicians performing together.

Like one large family band, the group dug into its huge collective discography, fishing out favorites such as Nickel Creek’s “Destination,” Thile’s silly “Comey’s Waltz” and a wonderful reimagining The Beatles’ “Julia.” The solos, harmonies and high-notes grew even more impressive.

The musicians were excited, too. Hugs were being exchanged throughout the set and during a humorously tense series of solos, Thile and Lage began jumping around and kicking the air in excitement, all without missing a note.

The sum of the whole was somehow greater than its parts.

The American Acoustic tour continues tonight in Highland Park, Ill. and Tuesday in Park City, Utah.

NEXT UP AT MEIJER GARDENS: Gov’t Mule and Galactic at 6 p.m. Monday (Aug. 14, sold out); Michael Franti & Spearhead at 7 p.m. Wednesday (sold out); Tegan and Sara at 7 p.m. Thursday; ‘Jethro Tull’ by Ian Anderson at 7 p.m. Friday.

PHOTO GALLERY: Punch Brothers, I’m With Her at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek

Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC