Article Contributed by Jamie Huenefeld
Published on 2026-11-03
The String Cheese Incident | October 31, 2026 | Photos by Jamie Huenefeld/Killahwave
Members of The String Cheese Incident walked onstage at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on October 31, 2026, in costume on Halloween night, and closed out a two-night holiday weekend stand. Guitarist Bill Nershi led the way as the grim reaper. He wrapped his scythe around drummer Michael Travis, who was wearing a full-body skeleton costume, and forced him to the floor. Percussionist Jason Hann laughed from behind, dressed as a werewolf. Rounding out the bunch were keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth as a devil, bassist Keith Moseley as Dracula and mandolinist Michael Kang as a zombie.
"Lightning Sky," a tune about the wisdom of the spiritual world with a mellow bluegrass feel, appropriately kicked off the set. Written by Moseley and released as a single in June, the song was the band's first new studio music in two years. Hollingsworth elevated the song on the Hammond B3 organ.
The classic funk tune "Miss Brown's Teahouse" followed. About five minutes in, Moseley started playing the bass line for the "Ghostbusters" theme, and the rest of the band jumped on. Hann sang the Ray Parker Jr. hit and changed the lyrics to "I ain't afraid of no Capitol Theatre ghost." Hollingsworth dialed up the spooky sounds on the Virus synth before Kang adeptly steered things safely back into "Miss Brown's Teahouse."
Hollingsworth bantered with the crowd about their great costumes and shared a comedic anecdote. The band then celebrated the carnival life with "Carnival." Kang dove the gang into a yummy blues rock and psychedelic sequence, and Nershi switched to electric guitar partway through. Travis held the drums strong as the jam got edgy, and the band eventually found the way back into "Carnival."
The infrequently played, calypso-vibed "Pirates" was up next, with Nershi returning to acoustic. Last played July 17 at Red Rocks, the tune dates back to the band's 1997 live release, A String Cheese Incident. Kang used an interesting effect on the electric mandolin as Hann complemented him on percussion. The jam morphed in an EDM-inspired direction with Hollingsworth on the Virus once again. This border-line type II jam had all the feels as the music returned to "Pirates." The sextet shifted gears into reggae mode for their take on the classic Bob Dylan tune "Like a Rolling Stone." Moseley held this one together on the low end.
Another pivot found the music in "Desert Dawn," which was sung and written by Kang. Nershi moved to electric while Hollingsworth snuck in a "Halloween" tease on the Hammond B3. Moseley drove the layered jam. In the heat of the jam, the groove turned, with Hollingsworth emitting a xylophone-like sound on the Virus and Travis working the resonant drums. In unison, they flipped into a tight funk groove otherwise known as "All We Got," a 2019 single from the band's SCI Sound Lab. Moseley continued to excel on bass as the dance party heated up. This ended a raging first set.
When the band returned for set two, the grim reaper reappeared with his scythe for more antics, along with an uncostumed Nershi. After a moment of confusion, the impostor handed Nershi his acoustic guitar to start the music. Moseley jokingly asked the crowd if they'd "rather have Nershi instead of that other guy."
The upbeat dance tune "Rosie" ignited set two. This song about a spider kept with the spooky Halloween theme. Travis crushed the thick, EDM-inspired groove. Hollingsworth began to play parts of "Restless Wind" on the Roland, followed by Nershi on acoustic, and the rest followed suit. Kang switched to the fiddle as he and Nershi faced off center stage.
The Indian-inspired original "Bhangra Saanj," first released as a 2019 single with Beats Antique, was up next, with Kang still on the fiddle. This percussion-heavy number maintained the eerie theme, while Hollingsworth hopped on the Moog. A dark transitional stretch included creepy laughing sounds from a haunted house and robotic monster sounds courtesy of Hann. Kang picked up the electric mandolin again when Hollingsworth began playing the melody for the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." Moseley sang the iconic cover, and Hollingsworth took a fine solo on the Roland. Nershi was back on electric and slayed this blues rock jam.
In honor of their quick trip home for the next few days, they played the obligatory "Way Back Home." This well-known jam vehicle soared into a blues and psychedelic rock infusion. Nershi was back on acoustic as Kang unleashed his fury, with Hollingsworth getting gospel on the Hammond B3. The jam made an ominous turn, with a tight wind-up from the bass and drums as they moved into "Valley of the Jig," a traditional tune the band cut on 2003's Untying the Not. Hollingsworth joined in on the Virus. Kang grabbed the fiddle, officially ushering in the song. Moseley was on fire as the jam turned dark and spooky. Hann added ghostly vocals before he, Nershi, Kang and Moseley jumped in unison.
Evil robotic vocals catapulted the band into the coveted "Howard." This song about an evil pig was the perfect choice for Halloween. Hann swapped in a cowboy hat for the occasion. Hollingsworth returned to the vintage Virus as Moseley joined the menacing push. Eventually the mood shifted into up-tempo major chords. Hollingsworth switched between Rhodes and Virus to signal the return to "Rosie," and Nershi strapped on the electric guitar again. Hann got tribal on the djembe wearing a sombrero. This ended what can only be described as a savage set.
The band returned for the encore wearing T-shirts of Jerry Garcia's hand in Knicks colors. The design was the brainchild of venue owner Peter Shapiro who went viral when he was spotted wearing the shirt courtside during the NBA Finals in June. While Kang mentioned not being a Knicks fan, he congratulated the team on winning the championship, the franchise's first since 1973. The band then dove into a monster "Texas," which was a lone-star-state-sized cherry on top of an inspired performance. It ain't easy being cheesy, indeed.
The String Cheese Incident will waste little time getting back on the road, swinging through the Midwest with a stop at GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids, MI (Nov. 4), followed by The Fillmore in Detroit, MI (Nov. 5), The Factory in Chesterfield, MO (Nov. 6) and Taft Theatre in Cincinnati, OH (Nov. 7). Following a short break, the band will head west to Channel 24 in Sacramento, CA (Dec. 3).
From there, the Just Keep Spinning Tour will make the trip through California with two nights in Oakland, CA (Dec. 4-5), followed by San Luis Obispo, CA (Dec. 6), Anaheim, CA (Dec. 9) and Los Angeles, CA (Dec. 10), before closing out the year with two nights in Del Mar, CA (Dec. 11-12).
Looking ahead, the 2027 Say Cheese Tour will launch in Florida with stops in Jacksonville, FL (Jan. 14), Fort Lauderdale, FL (Jan. 15) and St. Petersburg, FL (Jan. 16-17). The run will then swing north through Durham, NC (Jan. 20) and Greenville, SC (Jan. 21) before two nights in Atlanta, GA (Jan. 22-23). After a break, the band will return home to Colorado for a debut at WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat Springs (March 5) and wrap up the winter with two nights in Aspen, CO (March 6-7). Visit the band's tour page for more details on these dates.
Check out more photos from the show! Also, view our review and photos from their performance on October 30, 2026 at the Cap.
Band: The String Cheese Incident
Location: Port Chester, NY
Venue: The Capitol Theatre
Date: October 31, 2026
Set One: Lightning Sky, Miss Brown's Teahouse > Ghostbusters[1] > Miss Brown's Teahouse, Carnival, Pirates, Like a Rolling Stone[2], Desert Dawn[3] > Jam > All We Got
Set Two: Rosie > Restless Wind, Bhangra Saanj > Sympathy for the Devil[4], Way Back Home > Jam > Valley of the Jig, Howard > Rosie
Encore: Texas
Notes:
[1] Ray Parker Jr. cover, sung by Jason Hann with altered lyrics
[2] Bob Dylan cover
[3] With "Halloween" theme tease
[4] The Rolling Stones cover
