Photos by Matt Riley

One of the greatest aspects of bluegrass is that while most big-name performers probably got their start jamming along in picking circles, many haven’t abandoned that communal approach to sharing the spotlight. Railroad Earth is one of those bands that see an opportunity to play with some friends and jump on it. So when we heard they had invited the white-hot talent of the Infamous Stringdusters to perform before them in Bozeman, Montana, we didn’t think twice about making the three hour drive from Missoula with high hopes of catching some high-caliber collaboration.

Of course, even without dreaming of potential interplay between bands, this lineup was not to be missed, especially in a venue as small as Bozeman’s Emerson Center of Arts and Culture. The front of the 460-plus capacity theater filled up quickly with enthusiastic fans as the Stringdusters took the stage. Despite being confined to a chair on the side of the stage due to a leg injury, guitarist Andy Falco provided one of the night’s hottest solos early in the first song. On their second number, “Well Well,” Falco was joined on his side of the stage by mandolin player Jesse Cobb, and the two traded lightning-quick lead runs while the rest of the band watched with smiles on their faces. This is one of the group’s greatest charms: their unerring professionalism and technical ability is combined with the obvious fact these guys truly enjoy being up on stage with each other, constantly impressed with each others’ massive talent. The band burned through a dozen songs, including “You Can’t Handle the Truth” and “Gettin’ Down the Road,” which featured another mandolin solo tradeoff, this time with dobro player Andy Hall. While Cobb’s talent had always been recognizable, it really shined through tonight.

Railroad Earth took the stage after intermission and immediately set the mood with a crowd-pleasing rendition of “Elko,” followed by “Drag Him Down,” during which multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling cut loose with a flawless banjo solo. It was the first of many throughout the night, on any instrument Goessling chose to pick up. While I, like many, first fell in love with the band through the beyond-tasteful licks and showmanship of fiddle player Tim Carbone, through the years, however, my eyes have strayed over to Goessling’s side of the stage to focus on one of the most diversely talented musicians in the scene. “He’s got spiders for fingers,” one audience member leaned over to tell me.

The energy in the room reached a new peak with “Stillwater Getaway.” It was obvious from watching the crowd that if the Emerson wants to keep hosting foot-stomping bluegrass shows, it had better consider removing some seats before overzealous fans rip them out. Carbone’s fearless fiddle playing took the band’s jam to dizzying heights, and bassist Andrew Altman’s jazzy solo at the end of the tune displayed why he was the right choice to replace Johnny Grubb last year. Then began the collaborations we’d hoped for. Stringduster Jeremy Garrett lent his fiddle playing to “Little Bit O’ Me,” trading licks with Carbone while the rest of the band jammed on. A few songs later, Andy Hall brought his dobro up to spice up “The Cuckoo Bird,” which also benefited from a gritty blues guitar solo from frontman Todd Shaeffer. For their last song, the band finally let loose a bit of its rock ‘n’ roll soul on “Hard Livin’,” when Carbone traded his fiddle for a black telecaster and unleashed a solo so incendiary that the heat of his amplifier tubes could be felt from the back of the room.

After a quick break, the group came out for an encore of “Lovin’ You” followed by the crowd favorite, “Long Way to Go.” Jesse Cobb came out to trade licks with mandolin player John Skehan, a show that would have been more satisfying had it not been for Cobb’s lack of volume. The band left the stage and most of the members emerged to mingle with the audience that was still rowdy and ready for more. Altman stood back, shaking hands and quietly observing the crowd.

“These kids are batshit up here,” he said with a smile.