WOOOOW! That is a collection of some of the best, at they're best, in their prime. Wow, Sam Bush: I don't know how you can play a mandolin so hard that it seems like the wood will start burning. That was amazing.
This is to me the pinnacle in Blue Grass music. I do not think there will ever be a collective of musicians on stage all at once in this style that could rival all these guys for title of the best! They all individually are unbelievably amazing at what they do but elevate it to a completely different level when put on a stage together! Every now and then the stars align, the planets move, Earth is shifted and things just go right and history is made. I believe this will forever be one of those very rare occasions when it all comes together and we should all thank God that the cameras were rolling and the sound was right and somebody had enough love for music and generosity to share it with us all on UA-cam! Thank you for the post!!!
These guys top to bottom are the pinnacle of this era. They are innovators that have inspired thousands upon thousands of musicians young and old! Thank God for these treasures!
The Tony Rice All Stars is how this was billed. Footage taken from the Pickin' For Merle documentary series filmed at the 1992 festival. Nine Pound Hammer, Freeborn Man, Molly & Tenbrooks, and Cold on the Shoulder from this set were also included, possibly more; a couple of them are also on YT.
Years ago when YT first started when you searched "Bluegrass" the first video in the list was a 8-10 min jam by this line up from this festival. I wish I could find it. It seems to have disappeared. :(
Mark O’Connor- MY GOD- I have been through all of the bluegrass instruments-no words justify how good this guy is- one of the world’s greatest musicians.
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing! FYI - this is Bela's tune from his album, but that's not just Tony Rice. It's Mark O'Connor, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Mark Shatz. A truly all-star lineup.
In my humble opinion the very best collective that will ever be on a stage! Every single one of these guys revolutionized their instruments and how people perceived them! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF EM! All stars at every level! INFLUENCERS. By definition you cannot be a leader if no-one is following you.... Musicians will be "following" these guys for generations to come!
This is definitely from the 1992 Merle Watson Memorial Bluegrass Festival, before the name was officially changed to "MerleFest" (everyone called it that though). It was filmed for a PBS 10 part TV special called "Pickin' For Merle" which as far as I know still has not yet surfaced in complete form. There are a handful of other clips, all of which I think are from a single "best of" episode that aired on and off during pledge drives for a few years. Agreed with several other commenters that this might be the single most potent recurring lineup in the history of bluegrass. It's true that this lineup (or minor variations of it) played together at many festivals over the years, but I was at this one (and many of the others too) and remember it quite clearly & recognize the stage, the outfits, etc... At the time I was barely wise enough about bluegrass to know how lucky I was to witness this go down - but I was, and as the years have passed and I've learned the music better, the performances have only grown in my estimation. There is also a Doc Watson led jam session featuring many of the same players from this weekend that is equally stunning. Great upload, thank you.
@@wentworthcaniac if there is any chance you would be willing to lend those tapes or make copies of them it would be a major service to the bluegrass community. I have responsible, reliable friends all over the country and if you are willing to help we can make this thing happen in whatever way you're comfortable with. You are the first person to have a copy of the tapes I've found in over 2 decades of looking!
Thanks so much. 'Wish they'd put the 'where and when' in the youtube description! Nice to know it was Merlefest... A comparable lineup (arguably) happens every year with the Telluride All Star Band... But Tony is/was irreplaceable. Now there's Bryan Sutton, who IS awesome too...
Sam Bush, the best mandolin player this side of David Grisman, and the best bluegrass banjo, guitar, and arguably fiddle player of all time. It’s a wonder the stage didn’t catch fire
Just fantastic live music being played by real musicians, not like today with all the digital and electronic garbage that make nonentities sound good and also make them rich
I am so glad i got to see every one of these amazing performers through the years and many more during my bluegrass magical mystery tour back in the day. Bluegrass sure isn't like it use to be.
Tony Rice might wear a suit, but he's no city boy, that's for sure! Dude is just standing there with a straight back, casually shredding an acoustic guitar with bluegrass riffs that he's been practicing for 40+ years daily.
Mark O'Connor is the fiddle player. He has a ton of his work on UA-cam. He is an awesome musician and pretty good composer as well. Check out his performance at his induction into the Fiddle Players Hall of Fame.
This is so fast, it's nearly musically incoherent, but they somehow hold the groove. I think what happened is Sam kicked it into high gear with his first solo and there was no turning back then...(you can even see Tony mouth what I think was "too fast"). Ha ha...amazing.
Great song and performance! I just posted a note for note transcription video of Tony Rice's break on this song on my channel. His guitar solo is killer!
Sitting in Charelston SC parked on the side of an industrial park drive with all the windows down and this performance cranked to 11 in my Peterbilt, daring anyone to tell me to turn it down.
I do that in my car in the summertime, have been since I was a teenager. I wait until I'm beside some punk in traffic blasting rap and turn up my bluegrass full blast 🚥😂 🎶
Sounds about right. I remember I bought a Tony Rice video on VHS about 20 years ago and it had this performance on it, along with a bunch of other numbers.
So I have this private narrative that plays out in my head whenever I watch this video. There is one missed note in the whole song. Jerry Douglas accidentally mutes a high string note playing a run near the beginning of his first solo, an unforced error. You can see him sneer at it a little. I think it makes him mad. It makes the whole band attack the song even more aggressively. You cannot convince me that this didn't happen.
It’s not rock and roll so there’s no comparison. Ugh. Why? Just enjoy the unbelievable greatness. There’s great Rock and roll and there’s incomparable new grass. That’s what you got here
Bela Fleck posted an article about Tony after he passed. He said that Tony didn't like rehearsals so they got in one room and recorded the album Drive pretty much live. Get some?
don't you just wish this band would learn to play before they start practicing in public? ha! ha! i could listen to these ole boys all day long. very very hard to beat.
One of the greatest moments in the history of the Universe
Haha
WOOOOW! That is a collection of some of the best, at they're best, in their prime. Wow, Sam Bush: I don't know how you can play a mandolin so hard that it seems like the wood will start burning. That was amazing.
I'm convinced that Sam Bush has to move his head like that to cool his face so it doesn't melt while he's soloing.
I just choked on my dinner reading this
Lmao!! I think you're right!
I can't disagree
Amazing, my mind is blown. Thank you for posting
...does he have two pens in his suit jacket pocket?
Yes he do
Everybody's so young!!!
Bluegrass royalty, every one of them.
The AAAAAA Team!!
Everybody looked so young thirty years ago, me too.
As usual Tony destroys it
I do some bluegrass on my channel xx
This is to me the pinnacle in Blue Grass music. I do not think there will ever be a collective of musicians on stage all at once in this style that could rival all these guys for title of the best! They all individually are unbelievably amazing at what they do but elevate it to a completely different level when put on a stage together! Every now and then the stars align, the planets move, Earth is shifted and things just go right and history is made. I believe this will forever be one of those very rare occasions when it all comes together and we should all thank God that the cameras were rolling and the sound was right and somebody had enough love for music and generosity to share it with us all on UA-cam! Thank you for the post!!!
Amen
Well said Tony
Had a chance to see them and blew it
Still kicking myself
The best I agree
Wow that is so true
What about Punch Brothers?
Mark O'connor, Sam Bush, Mark Shatz, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, 1993
LORD JESUS IT'S A FIRE! And it's on Tony Rice's second guitar solo!
May be the best solo I've ever heard in this era of bluegrass. Tony blending in the jazz licks perfectly without going overboard
These guys top to bottom are the pinnacle of this era. They are innovators that have inspired thousands upon thousands of musicians young and old! Thank God for these treasures!
The Tony Rice All Stars is how this was billed. Footage taken from the Pickin' For Merle documentary series filmed at the 1992 festival. Nine Pound Hammer, Freeborn Man, Molly & Tenbrooks, and Cold on the Shoulder from this set were also included, possibly more; a couple of them are also on YT.
Years ago when YT first started when you searched "Bluegrass" the first video in the list was a 8-10 min jam by this line up from this festival. I wish I could find it. It seems to have disappeared. :(
Holy cow, always loved this one, but this live version is wild. Insane picking at an insane speed!!
I was there for this show, I still wonder why I am not mentally scarred from it......
Moments like these I'm reminded why UA-cam is a good thing
RIP, Tony. Always the Gentleman in the bunch! What a crew.
Very few stages have ever had this much overwhelming talent placed on them. This is truly mindblowing stuff I only wish the world knew.
Mark O’Connor- MY GOD- I have been through all of the bluegrass instruments-no words justify how good this guy is- one of the world’s greatest musicians.
VERY WELL SPOKEN and very true! Mark O'Connor is one of the best musicians in general on the face of the planet.
Have you seen him with Winton Marsalis - Sweet Georgia Brown - one of the greatest pieces of live music I ever saw - all of them just brilliant
Is this Mark O’Connor?
He’s so good on multiple instruments. Guitar, mando and fiddle. Think he had to give up everything but fiddle due to elbow problems.
A 'who's who' of bluegrass with Sam Bush on mandolin and Jerry Douglas on dobro!!
Awesome video. Thanks for sharing! FYI - this is Bela's tune from his album, but that's not just Tony Rice. It's Mark O'Connor, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas and Mark Shatz. A truly all-star lineup.
In my humble opinion the very best collective that will ever be on a stage! Every single one of these guys revolutionized their instruments and how people perceived them! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF EM! All stars at every level! INFLUENCERS. By definition you cannot be a leader if no-one is following you.... Musicians will be "following" these guys for generations to come!
A stage full of G.O.A.T.s !!
I couldn't put it better than Tony Eads. Bela's album, Drive, is the most inspiring instrumental album I know.
Absolutely agree.
Good Grief, what talent..can't perceive all the thoughts going through their minds on those strings!
They're so good, they're probably just thinking about taking out the garbage when they get home.
BanjerString they just play naturally no thoughts just sending good energy to the crowd through their talent!
Is there a DVD of these jams anywhere? There really ought to be. I'll buy it tonight! I wonder who has the nice, clean recordings?
Has anyone noticed in the last few seconds, when they're playing in unison, Sam reaches up quick to adjust a tuner? Sheesh.
Yeah i just noticed that too. Can you imagine knowing your out and trying to adjust during a tune like Whitewater, lol. Guess thats why he's a pro.
He broke a string and changed it during Jerry's second solo. He was just fine tuning when he came back to the mic.
a bunch of guys at the peak of their performance. just f'in incredible. thank you so much for capturing this for us
This is definitely from the 1992 Merle Watson Memorial Bluegrass Festival, before the name was officially changed to "MerleFest" (everyone called it that though). It was filmed for a PBS 10 part TV special called "Pickin' For Merle" which as far as I know still has not yet surfaced in complete form. There are a handful of other clips, all of which I think are from a single "best of" episode that aired on and off during pledge drives for a few years.
Agreed with several other commenters that this might be the single most potent recurring lineup in the history of bluegrass. It's true that this lineup (or minor variations of it) played together at many festivals over the years, but I was at this one (and many of the others too) and remember it quite clearly & recognize the stage, the outfits, etc...
At the time I was barely wise enough about bluegrass to know how lucky I was to witness this go down - but I was, and as the years have passed and I've learned the music better, the performances have only grown in my estimation. There is also a Doc Watson led jam session featuring many of the same players from this weekend that is equally stunning.
Great upload, thank you.
I have the complete set. Plus I was there. A memory I will take to the grave.
Ken Yount Any way we could convince you to upload it to UA-cam?
TheMrCompletely non
L.
@@wentworthcaniac if there is any chance you would be willing to lend those tapes or make copies of them it would be a major service to the bluegrass community. I have responsible, reliable friends all over the country and if you are willing to help we can make this thing happen in whatever way you're comfortable with. You are the first person to have a copy of the tapes I've found in over 2 decades of looking!
Thanks so much. 'Wish they'd put the 'where and when' in the youtube description! Nice to know it was Merlefest... A comparable lineup (arguably) happens every year with the Telluride All Star Band... But Tony is/was irreplaceable. Now there's Bryan Sutton, who IS awesome too...
This group supports each other and brings out the best for each. So is the truth with experts I all fields
Tony Rice is the man. Dresses like a pro, looks first class and plays like a god while looking at ease.
Mark O'Connor never missed a beat when the camera man took a fall right in front of him. Now that's goood!!!
this song was taken out of youtube, i thought id never hear it again!!! thank you!!
Do you have Bela Fleck's 'Drive' album? The whole album is this band and is amazing. Whitewater starts the album off.
This vid is kind of incorrectly named. It's "Strength In Numbers" with Tony Rice.
That Jerry Douglas solo!
Marco Perissinotto for real tho. Buuuuuuddy. Dude just knows.
Sounded like a voice when he started man I was actually confused
Sam Bush, the best mandolin player this side of David Grisman, and the best bluegrass banjo, guitar, and arguably fiddle player of all time. It’s a wonder the stage didn’t catch fire
And dobro! Don't forget Jerry Douglas!
what was the date of that performance? Just unimaginably stellar...
Just fantastic live music being played by real musicians, not like today with all the digital and electronic garbage that make nonentities sound good and also make them rich
I love how every time Sam Bush’s head goes this way, his hair goes that way.
I am so glad i got to see every one of these amazing performers through the years and many more during my bluegrass magical mystery tour back in the day. Bluegrass sure isn't like it use to be.
Tony Rice might wear a suit, but he's no city boy, that's for sure! Dude is just standing there with a straight back, casually shredding an acoustic guitar with bluegrass riffs that he's been practicing for 40+ years daily.
Damn, that two-note repeated figure Tony Rice starts at the beginning of his second solo is like WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!!! Just astounding.
No words can be enough to describe this line up.
Mark O'Connor is the fiddle player. He has a ton of his work on UA-cam. He is an awesome musician and pretty good composer as well. Check out his performance at his induction into the Fiddle Players Hall of Fame.
Loved that little quickie tunable moment at the end there.
Pure chaos and I love it
This rocks harder than anything the Metallica ever recorded
Insane banjo and guitar in that playlist!! Holy crap!
The A Team plays Whitewater!
This is so fast, it's nearly musically incoherent, but they somehow hold the groove. I think what happened is Sam kicked it into high gear with his first solo and there was no turning back then...(you can even see Tony mouth what I think was "too fast"). Ha ha...amazing.
Eugene Benjamin, the tempo takes a leap after the intro.
I think he said " ill go next"
I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Rice years ago in Tulsa Oklahoma, he was so nice and took a lot of time to chat with everyone around him.
Best bluegrass band ever
Mark played with the Boston symphony, I believe.
Give me back 1993 and take away this PC, hypochondriac society. This world is fucked!!!!!
Nice 👌
Thought I was watching this on 1.5 speed for a minute there.
I like how tony looks back at mark at the beginning and is like "is bela out of his mind"
Great song and performance! I just posted a note for note transcription video of Tony Rice's break on this song on my channel. His guitar solo is killer!
That mandolin player wants to play metal.....trying so hard not to headbang.....
3:09 did sam break a string or something? It looks like something hit him and then he just left for like 20 seconds
These guys rip up any rock&roll band and use them for toilet paper!
You missed 4 of the greatest musicians of all time in your List of artists.
Just sayin' ... the violin doesn't have frets.
Los mejores! Saludos desde El Salvador
Sitting in Charelston SC parked on the side of an industrial park drive with all the windows down and this performance cranked to 11 in my Peterbilt, daring anyone to tell me to turn it down.
I do that in my car in the summertime, have been since I was a teenager. I wait until I'm beside some punk in traffic blasting rap and turn up my bluegrass full blast 🚥😂 🎶
Total Fucking madness!!
Had to change my underdungers!!
Sounds about right. I remember I bought a Tony Rice video on VHS about 20 years ago and it had this performance on it, along with a bunch of other numbers.
To say this is an all star unit is a gross gross understatement
I'd love to hear you and Jerry sit a pick together!😊
Thank you for uploading this 👍
It wasn't a Tony Rice thing. These same guys play together almost every year at Merlefest.
AmazeBALLS!
Jerry Douglas ON the Dobro is awesome too GREAT POST:) Brilliant work by all
3:09 thought that was someone's voice. Super trippy
If we could just get theses guys to run our country.
Ironically I find this version to to have much more drive than the album cut.
The musical equivalent of chasing a Cheetah !!
RIP Tony Rice!
He is the only one of these guys I never got to see live I will always regret that.
Now that'll kick you in the ass in the morning
This is not Kyuss...but it's catchy.
One thing about old Sam, he never let the melody stand on the way of a good break.
So I have this private narrative that plays out in my head whenever I watch this video. There is one missed note in the whole song. Jerry Douglas accidentally mutes a high string note playing a run near the beginning of his first solo, an unforced error. You can see him sneer at it a little. I think it makes him mad. It makes the whole band attack the song even more aggressively. You cannot convince me that this didn't happen.
3:10 Sam Bush. Powwwww!!
It’s not rock and roll so there’s no comparison. Ugh. Why? Just enjoy the unbelievable greatness. There’s great Rock and roll and there’s incomparable new grass. That’s what you got here
Bela Fleck posted an article about Tony after he passed. He said that Tony didn't like rehearsals so they got in one room and recorded the album Drive pretty much live. Get some?
wow and wow. that rocked my socks off. They're the best. Yup. :)
still a marvel and a gem to this day
I couldn't agree more with Tony and Scampt. I don't think the "Drive lineup" has been matched in the 20 years since this performance was filmed.
What a lineup! These guys scary.
Is this Merle Fest? what year is this?
Blazing a serious trail of smoke.
no bass solo? i dont like this song
This is better than butter beans!
don't you just wish this band would learn to play before they start practicing in public? ha! ha! i could listen to these ole boys all day long. very very hard to beat.
got a lot of bluegrass albums but I listen to something from "DRIVE" most every day!
Bela looks like Eddie Van Halen 🤣
And Bill Monroe, essentially told Sam to give up the mandoline. Told him to stick to the fiddle
Jesus .. that is pure heroin.
Oh. That's good stuff!!
1:40 ..^__^..cameraman
Thank you ^^
reminds me of Mozart