Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Take Their Final Bow In Nashville For 60th Anniversary Concert At The Grand Ole Opry House

Last night, during their third standing ovation of the evening, Americana torchbearers Nitty Gritty Dirt Band waved goodbye to their Nashville fans at the Grand Ole Opry House. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the band’s formation—to the day—the Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, Jaime Hanna, Ross Holmes, and Jim Photoglo hit the Opry stage with a fervor rarely seen in a group that’s been at it for more than half a century. After all, it was Nashville where the group recorded their seminal Will The Circle Be Unbroken series—read the L.A. Times’ piece on the band’s generation-spanning draw—and Nashville where most of the band now calls home. 

Kicking things off with “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” it wasn’t long before the Dirt Band’s cavalcade of special guests began entering from stage right. Jerry Douglas joined for “Long Hard Road,” Alison Brown joined the latter on “Grandpa Was a Carpenter,” Suzy Bogguss & Kathleen Edwards backed the band on “An American Dream” and so much more throughout the evening. Returning to the Opry stage for their encore, the Dirt Band ripped through a mashup of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “The Weight,” giving a nod to the group’s longtime friend and collaborator, the late Levon Helm. 

The night ended with a moment of gratitude from the band. “We appreciate y’all coming to our shows all these years and buying our records, and buying our cassettes, and buying our 8-track tapes,” says Jeff Hanna. “It’s not lost on us how lucky we are to have done this with you guys all these years.”

Setlist:

You Ain’t Going Nowhere

Partners, Brothers and Friends

Cosmic Cowboy

Long Hard Road (feat. Jerry Douglas)

Stand A Little Rain

Girl from the North Country

Grandpa Was a Carpenter (feat. Alison Brown & Jerry Douglas)

Take Me In Your Lifeboat (feat. Alison Brown & Jerry Douglas)

Fish Song

Workin’ Man (Nowhere to Go)

Nashville Skyline (feat. Kathleen Edwards)

Make A Little Magic (feat. Kathleen Edwards & Jerry Douglas)

Mr. Bojangles

Ripplin’ Waters

Helpless (feat. Suzy Bogguss, Alison Brown & Jerry Douglas)

Bless The Broken Road

House At Pooh Corner

John Henry

Fishin’ in the Dark

An American Dream (feat. Suzy Bogguss & Kathleen Edwards)

Bayou Jubilee/Orange Blossom Special

Cadillac Ranch

Buy For Me The Rain

Will The Circle Be Unbroken/The Weight (feat. Alison Brown, Suzy Bogguss, Jerry Douglas & Kathleen Edwards)