Béla Fleck & The Flecktones started out in 1988 when Béla put the band together for a TV show called The Lonesome Pine Specials. 30 years later, the original lineup is heading out on the road for 13 shows this Summer.
"The Flecktones is my dream come true. I imagined something unique, and then it came to life before my eyes - materialized by these incredible musicians, who appeared pretty much out of nowhere. There are so many things I love about this band, but one of the biggest things for me is that each of us regard each other member as a teacher. Each person has information that the other three does not possess and that constant learning from each other and the circle of inspiration has gone on for 30 years now, and could go on forever..." - Béla Fleck
They'll be starting the tour with a special "secret show" in Cleveland, OH where fans will be able to catch a little of The Flecktones' last rehearsal.
6.25: Cleveland, OH - Tickets (almost sold out)
6.26: Rochester, NY - Tickets
6.27: Toronto, Ontario - Tickets
6.28: Ottawa, Ontario - Tickets
6.29: Lenox, MA - Tickets
6.30: Port Chester, NY - Tickets
7.1: Montreal, Quebec - Tickets
7.9: Kansas City, MO - Tickets
7.10: Boulder, CO - Tickets (almost sold out)
7.11: Jackson Hole, WY - Tickets
7.12: Missoula, MT (w/ The Wood Brothers) - Tickets
7.13: Seattle, WA (w/ Del McCoury Band & The Jerry Douglas Band) - Tickets
7.14: Portland, OR (w/ David Grisman Trio & The Jerry Douglas Band) - Tickets
Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn and renowned dance troupe Pilobolus have created their own timely ghost story by pairing two songs off their latest album, Echo in the Valley (Rounder), “Come All You Coal Miners” by Appalachian ballad singer, Sarah Ogan Gunning and the duo’s own “Take Me to Harlan.”
Harlan, Kentucky is an important area for its connection to Appalachian heritage and connection to the struggle for workers’ rights, as told by Gunning, an early 20th century wife of a coal miner. “The dancers watched the movie "Harlan Co.," says Pilobolus producer, Jake McIntyre, who originally had the idea of choreographing Béla and Abigail’s murder ballad, “Shotgun Blues.” “We talked about music and history and movement. We listened to Sarah Ogan Gunning, really listened, and the piece started to reveal itself as a ghost story. We had our murder ballad after all.”
Coal mining is the most dangerous work / in our land today / with plenty of dirty slaving work / and very little pay / coal miner won’t you wake up / and open your eyes and see / what the dirty capitalist system / is doing to you and me
The companion song “Take Me to Harlan” celebrates the “profound love that remains in our old home place, despite the pain we might have experienced there,” says Abigail, who simultaneously sings and clogs the tune (her doctor cleared her to perform it at the NPR Tiny Desk in the final month of pregnancy).
“We loved the experience!” says Fleck, who describes their time at Pilobolus’ rural Connecticut studio as “one of those pure exchanges, what you wish all collaborations would be. Everyone is affected by each other, but still retains their individuality.”
Along with the video, Fleck, Washburn and Pilobolus created Echo in the Valley, a 20-minute performance piece that premiered at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC in 2017.
Béla added this about Harlan, KY:
"My connection to Harlan began when I was 17, and got my first ‘big time’ gig, playing with the great Hazel Dickens.
Hazel was promoting the film Harlan County USA at Lincoln Center, and she was performing songs before the film was shown.
Because of my experience I got to see the film, which was very powerful and deep, all about the battle between the coal companies and the miners for human right.
Since then I have been aware of Harlan, and that name brings a lot of images.
When we were writing the song, I could access those images and they created a starting point for my part of the story that we told."
Béla and Abigail will be on the road in late 2018 and 2019. They'll make stops in California, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Michigan, Indiana, New Jersey, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Purchase tickets here.
Béla Fleck’s second annual Blue Ridge Banjo Camp will be held at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC on August 14-18, 2019. The camp will feature 3 days and 4 nights of diverse banjo instruction by Béla himself alongside a cast of world class banjo players/instructors. The week will culminate with the Blue Ridge banjo finale concert held in the beautiful Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. The instructional focus will be on the three distinct styles of three-finger banjo playing: Scruggs, melodic, and single string. The Blue Ridge Banjo Camp will provide banjo players with the tools to improve their playing and aims to contribute to the overall growth of the fine art of the 5-String banjo. Last year’s inaugural camp was an overwhelming success. Bringing banjo players together from around the globe for master class instruction, community jams, and full-banjo immersion.
Past instructors Tony Trischka and Kristin Scott Benson will return to teach in 2019, in addition to welcoming Alan Munde. Stay tuned as Béla continues to announce next year's lineup.
“One-of-a-kind chance to actually learn from the very best! Generous and unique instruction, with both immediately-useful takeaways and the new technique that I'll be spending years practicing. And all in beautiful surroundings!” - Nat Torkington (2018 Camp Participant)
On Saturday, December 22, a mile-long, hippo-shaped asteroid soared at a distance of 1.8 million miles from Earth, and a closer pass will not occur until 2070, reports The Independent.
The sighting happened as the original Flecktones – Béla Fleck, Future Man, Victor Wooten and Howard Levy - confirmed their 2019 tour in celebration of the 30thanniversary of the groundbreaking quartet’s formation. With shows in the US throughout 2019, this promises to be the Flecktones’ most extensive tour in years. Watch for dates after the new year!
The Flecktones are also proud to confirm the Telluride Bluegrass Festival on June 21, 2019 and the inaugural Béla Fleck Friends & Family, set for May 30 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, featuring the Flecktones, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Abigail Washburn and a performance with the Colorado Symphony.
While Béla Fleck & The Flecktones were confirming the final dates on their most extensive tour in years, a hippo-shaped asteroid soared close to the earth (1.8 million miles, as reported by The Independent), as predicted by the band’s 1991 album Flight of the Cosmic Hippo.
The original lineup of this groundbreaking quartet – banjoist Béla Fleck, Howard Levy on piano and harmonica, percussionist / Drumitarist Future Man and bassist Victor Wooten – will be touring North America this year to celebrate their 30th Anniversary, including June 8 at the Playboy Jazz Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival on June 21, and the inaugural Béla Fleck & The Flecktones: Friends & Family, set for May 30 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, featuring the Flecktones, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Abigail Washburn and a performance with the Colorado Symphony.
Tickets are on sale now, and additional Flecktones dates will be added later this year.
For the first time in Flecktones history, both Jeff Coffin and Howard Levy will be in the group for a special show at the the inaugural Béla Fleck & The Flecktones: Friends & Family on May 30 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Coffin, the former Flecktones’ woodwind player and current member of the Dave Matthews Band, will be performing with the band for the first time in a decade.
The Friends & Family lineup will feature the Flecktones, Jerry Douglas, Abigail Washburn and a performance with the Colorado Symphony. The great Sam Bush is recovering from surgery and is no longer on the bill. The Flecktones wish him the very best!
On Tuesday, July 9 at the Birchmere outside of Washington, DC, some of the greatest performers in American roots music will celebrate the life of their friend, Eileen Carson Schatz.
“It’s time for us to gather around our dear friends Mark and Eileen, who are going through the toughest of things,” says Béla Fleck, who will be joined by Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Danny Paisley and Eileen’s husband, Mark Schatz. “This benefit is way we can support them, and to let them know how important they both are in our community.”
Eileen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018 and proceeds from the show will benefit the Carson-Schatz family. For a direct donation to the family, please visit GoFundMe.
Eileen Carson Schatz has dedicated her life to sharing the power and joy of traditional music and percussive dance with people throughout the U.S. and abroad. The Founding Artistic Director of Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble in 1979, she is a pioneer in bringing Americana music and percussive dance to performing arts stages and the general public. For nearly 40 years, she has filled many roles, including Footworks' Artistic Director, performing artist, choreographer, vocalist, songwriter, and teacher.
Carson’s family is from the Southern Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee and they moved to Maryland seeking better education and career opportunities. They brought with them a great love and respect for traditional Southern music and dance along with an appreciation of jazz, swing, ballroom dancing, and all of the performing arts.
In 1974, Eileen began dancing with the Green Grass Cloggers of North Carolina, a group of college students with a love of fiddle music and dance and the courage to experiment and innovate with the dance form, which led them to be one of the first traditional clogging groups to bring the form out of the South to a larger audience.
More information on Eileen Carson Schatz can be found here and at Footworks.org.
Tickets will be on sale here Friday, June 7 at 12:00pm EST.
What better way to celebrate this winter season than with old friends? The Flecktones launch Part II of their 30th Anniversary tour, kicking it off tonight in Auburn, AL. The guys have revisited some classics, and worked up a new tune or two, and are ready to be back at it with you!
Catch us on our 30th Anniverary Tour - see you out there!
TICKETS HERE
Perhaps Béla Fleck's most daring experiment in musical communication was a 2006 trip to Africa. Curious to explore the African roots of the banjo, and eager to play with African musicians on their home turf, Fleck took recording equipment along, as well as a film crew directed by his brother, Sascha Paladino. The result was Throw Down Your Heart, an award-winning documentary of the trip, as well as two albums: 2009’s Throw Down Your Heart: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 3 – Africa Sessions, and Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2, Unreleased Tracks, which was issued the following year.
Simply put, the project was a sensation. There were, of course, raves from the press — “traditional African music turns out to suit him beautifully” pronounced The New York Times — but fellow musicians were equally awed. “Béla Fleck's amazing film Throw Down Your Heart makes me want to go to Africa,” said acclaimed jazz pianist Chick Corea. “The genuine warmth, affinity, respect and love between Béla and the amazing African musicians he met are beautifully captured.” Banjo-player and actor Steve Martin added, “With Throw Down Your Heart, Béla Fleck has contributed significantly to the history of the banjo, as well as inventing a style of music never before played on this great instrument.”
Now, both albums and the film have been included in Fleck’s newest release, Throw Down Your Heart: Africa Sessions – Complete Edition. But that’s not all. In addition to a DVD that augments the original documentary fresh commentary by Fleck and Paladino as well as an hour of additional video footage, the set includes a third album: The Ripple Effect, Throw Down Your Heart Part 3. Drawn from a series of duo performances Fleck made with Malian kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté in 2009, these previously-unavailable recordings bring a whole new level of intercultural virtuosity to the Throw Down Your Heart saga.
That tour was, for Fleck, one of the highlights of the project. He had met Diabaté in 2008 at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, where he asked the kora player to join him in giving a workshop. “Our initial interactions immediately revealed great potential as a duo,” Fleck writes in the liner notes. “His incredible soloing ability was offset by astonishing supportive abilities, and an overall elegance that blew me away.”
Fleck had hoped to hook up with Diabaté again during his trip to Mali, but their schedules didn’t align. “He was one of few people who was not available when I was there,” he writes. “He had overdubbed on a couple of tracks after the fact, so that he could be a part of the album, but we had not had the chance to develop the promising musical rapport which actually began at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.”
Diabaté was part of the small-group tour Fleck assembled after the release of the first Throw Down Your Heart album in 2009, but it wasn’t until the two went out as a duo later that year that their full potential was realized. From the first notes of the gently upbeat “Bamako,” in which the shimmering sound of Diabaté’s kora echoed by the tart twang of Fleck’s banjo, it’s clear that these two are not only equally matched in terms of instrumental ability but are also utterly simpatico in terms of their rhythmic and melodic sensibilities. The Ripple Effect closes with the two trading increasingly elaborate licks until one jaw-droppingly virtuosic fusillade from Diabaté prompts Fleck to crack, “You know this means war,” and the track turns into a world-spanning rendition of “Dueling Banjos.” Listening to it, one is amazed Fleck waited this long to release the track.
We've had so much fun playing together for the 30th Anniversary Tour that we decided to play even more shows together! Here are our upcoming dates. We have another run in the late Spring and Summer. Hope to see you at a show!
When you watch this Spread The Vote video you'll hear Béla Fleck's banjo and see his brother, Sascha's, animation. The two brothers teamed up with Spread The Vote to help people understand the directions for completing their ballots.
Béla and Sascha have teamed up before, most famously on the Throw Down Your Heart documentary.
Don’t forget to register and VOTE on November 3!
Produced by Sascha Paladino
Written, Directed & Animated by Max Miceli and Michael Daedalus Kenny
Sound Design by Otis Van Osten
Music by Béla Fleck
To celebrate Bela Fleck's most recent GRAMMY® nomination (!!) for Best Historical Album, they're screening the award-winning documentary Throw Down Your Heart this Friday on their Facebook and YouTube pages. The film will be followed by a live Q&A with Bela and director Sascha Paladino. You'll be able to interact in the chat, and they'll be waiting to answer all your questions about the film, the music, and the journey to the project's creation!
This all goes down on Friday, December 11th at 7pm EST; free to watch, so come on and join us!
Join the Bearded Banjo Santas Holiday Hang with Messrs. Béla Fleck, Alan Munde, and Tony Trischka.
From the North Pole, 15 strings will resound and conversation propels across great distances. Be sure not to miss the tintinnabulation as picks click strings on Wednesday, December 23, 8pm ET for an hour of fun and frolic.
Tune in to any of these Banjo Santas' Facebook page to watch! Donations will gladly be accepted for Action Against Hunger USA.
They nearly always come back. All the people that leave bluegrass. I had a strong feeling that I’d be coming back as well. My Bluegrass Heart is my first bluegrass record in over 20 years. It comes out September 10th but you can hear Charm School (featuring Billy Strings on guitar and Chris Thile on mandolin) right now.
"Charm School" started out with a banjo tune in C, using loads of harmonics. C harm. Get it? In some ways, it’s the wildest and jammiest track on the album, and yet highly melodic and organized. I feel this was the perfect vehicle for this band and the perfect band for this song. And when you think about us musical dogs that sometimes need to go crazy, yet live in a world where we’re expected to follow the rules, maybe it’s the perfect title, too.
I had the pleasure of working with many great musicians on the album. Some are the young stars coming up and some are the legends that played on my first two bluegrass albums.
Mandolins:
Sam Bush, David Grisman, Sierra Hull, Dominick Leslie, Chris Thile
Guitars:
Cody Kilby, Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton
Fiddles:
Michael Cleveland, Billy Contreras, Stuart Duncan, Andy Leftwich
Basses:
Paul Kowert, Royal Masat, Edgar Meyer, Mark Schatz
Dobro:
Jerry Douglas
Guest Banjoists:
Noam Pikelny
Tony Trischka
I'll be touring My Bluegrass Heart this fall with two different all-star bands - you won't want to miss out! We'll also be bringing you a very special concert with ALL the artists at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN on January 7th, 2022. Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 30. See you back on the road (finally)!
Béla Fleck: My Bluegrass Heart Tour
featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, & Bryan Sutton
9.17: Roanoke, VA - Jefferson Center
9.18: Berryville , VA - Watermelon Pickers’ Fest 2021
9.19: Glenside, PA - The Keswick Theatre
9.21: Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
9.22: Bethesda, MD - The Music Center at Strathmore
9.23: Cumberland, MD - DelFest
9.24: Princeton, NJ - McCarter Theatre Center
9.25: Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center
9.26: North Adams, MA - FreshGrass
9.28: Kent, OH - The Kent Stage
9.29: Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
9.30: Charlottesville, VA - The Paramount Theater
10.01: Raleigh, NC - IBMA Bluegrass Live! powered by PNC
featuring Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, & Bryan Sutton
* = Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton
11.27: Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Performance Hall
11.28: Fort Wayne, IN - Clyde Theatre
11.29: Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
12.01: St. Louis, MO - The Sheldon Concert Hall
12.02: Des Moines, IA - Hoyt Sherman Place
12.03: Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
12.04: Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre*
12.05: Jackson, WY - Center For The Arts
12.07: Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
12.08: Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre*
12.09: Eugene, OR - Jaqua Concert Hall (early show)
12.09: Eugene, OR - Jaqua Concert Hall (late show)
12.10: Redding, CA - The Cascade Theatre*
12.11: Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Resort Casino
12.12: Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
12.14: Costa Mesa, CA - Segerstrom Center for the Arts
12.16: San Diego, CA - Balboa Theatre
12.17: Los Angeles, CA - Theater at the ACE Hotel
12.19: Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
Join me on Sunday, September 12th at 8pm EDT to celebrate the release of my first bluegrass album in over 20 years, My Bluegrass Heart. This stream features the band's debut performance live from RockyGrass in Lyons, CO and highlights a new generation of bluegrass players including fiddlist Michael Cleveland, mandolin virtuoso Sierra Hull, multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses, bassist Mark Schatz, and guitarist Bryan Sutton.
In addition to the livestream, I'll be doing pre-show 1-on-1 virtual Meet & Greets and a post show Q&A. Tickets for everything can be found here.
Watch us practicing side stage before the show in the video below!
A year or so back, I’d had a thought about doing some shows with Sierra Hull & Molly Tuttle, and we got together to jam. (Mostly I was thinking they’d be amazing together without me!) But, later in the recording of the album it became clear to me that I was propagating the boys club, while there were female players who were just as good. Even though I already had more than an album’s worth of music recorded, we did an awesome session with Molly, Sierra, and a couple of dudes - Mark Schatz and Andy Leftwich - cutting three more tunes. You can listen to one of them now, Wheels Up.
Below you'll see a video of the first touring band (Sierra Hull, Michael Cleveland, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz and Bryan Sutton) playing Wheels Up from a practice we had in Lyons, CO.
I think of this project as the third chapter in a trilogy which began with 1988’s Drive, and continued with Bluegrass Sessions in 1999.
These two albums featured a core band that included Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, and Mark Schatz. Mark O’Connor and Peter Rowan were our special guests for Drive. On Bluegrass Sessions some 11 years later, John Hartford, Vassar Clements and Earl Scruggs were our special guests. All three of them sadly are gone today.
We recently lost Tony Rice, at the time of this writing. The loss was immense and began quite a while before his untimely death, as he struggled with performing and recording due to health concerns, eventually dropping out of the scene completely. If I may be selfish for a moment here, this left me in a bit of a pickle. You see Tony Rice was the only guitarist I had met who could make it possible for me to play bluegrass in the way I wanted to. His remarkable ensemble playing allowed me (and really all of us) to spontaneously do things that were impossible in other circumstances, which is why we all considered it a very special occasion any time Tony was present to perform or record. I do want to say it wasn’t just Tony, it took everyone, but his impact on the musicians he played with was magical and profound.
As the years since Bluegrass Sessions began to pile on top of each other, and grow into decades, I began to amass compositions that were consciously and unconsciously designed for this band. And as Tony became less available due to his health issues, I began to wonder if that chapter of my bluegrass life had now closed.
Béla, Sam, Jerry, Stuart, Edgar & Bryan Live From Denver. For the second leg of the My Bluegrass Heart Tour, I'm bringing some of the people I've played with the most. I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to see this lineup if it's not coming to your town.
On 12/4 we'll be at The Paramount Theatre in Denver and you'll be able to watch the show live from your home. Get your tickets here.
Upcoming Tour Dates
11.26: Owensboro, KY - Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum (2 shows)
11.27: Grand Rapids, MI - DeVos Performance Hall
11.28: Fort Wayne, IN - The Clyde Theatre
11.29: Milwauke, WI - Riverside Theater
11.30: Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
12.01: St. Louis, MO - The Sheldon Hall
12.02: Des Moines, IA - Hoyt Sherman Place
12.03: Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
12.04: The Paramount Theatre - Denver, CO
12.05: Jackson, WY - Center for the Arts
12.07: Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
12.08: Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
12.09: Eugene, OR - The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts (2 shows)
12.10: Redding, CA - Cascade Theatre
12.11: Reno, NV - Silver Legacy Resort Casino
12.12: Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre
12.13: Carmel By The Sea, CA - Sunset Cultural Center
12.15: Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theatre
12.16: San Diego, CA - Balboa Theatre
12.17: Los Angeles, CA - Theater at the ACE Hotel
12.18: Tempe, AZ - Tempe Center for the Arts
12.19: Tucson, AZ - Fox Tucson Theatre
01.07: Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
01.09: New York, NY - Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
The show at the Ryman may be sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t join in on the fun! Join me and some amazingly talented friends -- Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Edgar Meyer, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, Chris Thile, Molly Tuttle and more -- streaming live on Friday, January 7 at 9pm ET on Mandolin. Performing music from my new, Grammy-nominated album, My Bluegrass Heart, you won’t want to miss this one! Tickets include 24 hour replay access.
If you're looking for a last minute gift for a bluegrass lover, or someone you want to turn into a bluegrass lover, this is it!
Due to hazardous weather conditions in Nashville and out of an abundance of caution for fans, crew and performers, the Béla Fleck show originally scheduled for tonight at Ryman Auditorium has been rescheduled to tomorrow, Saturday, January 8th at 8 pm. All tickets for the original show date will be valid for the new performance date. Please reach out to point of purchase to request a refund if you are unable to make the new date. Sorry for the inconvenience, folks! This has been a true crazy time and we cannot wait to hit the stage…the show WILL go on!
The show at the Ryman may be sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t join in on the fun! Join me and some amazingly talented friends -- Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Sierra Hull, Edgar Meyer, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, Molly Tuttle, Tony Trischka and more -- streaming live tomorrow night, January 8 at 9pm ET on Mandolin. Performing music from my new, Grammy-nominated album, My Bluegrass Heart, you won’t want to miss this one! Tickets include 24 hour replay access.
We finally did it. We found a time where our schedules overlapped just enough to go on tour together! I’m excited to bring My Bluegrass Heart on tour with Punch Brothers this December. You’ll get a set from them, a set from me and my bluegrass band, and even a few tunes from all of us together…what’s better than a night of world class Bluegrass?!
Announced today, all shows go on sale this Friday, August 12th at 10am local (with the exception of Greensboro which goes on sale August 19th and Ann Arbor which is on sale now). Hope to see you out there!
This is a very special moment for me, and a long time in the making. You can catch me and an all-star lineup of bluegrass' most acclaimed artists from our sold out show at the Ryman — starting this Saturday, August 13th on PBS’ Pledge Drive!
This concert was legendary for me (and all of us, really), and one I’m proud of. In this show, we highlight some of the best moments and give you a glimpse of that night on-stage with us. For those of you that are PBS members and have access to their platform, you’ll also have access to unreleased footage, behind-the-scenes content, and an interview with me on how My Bluegrass Heart came to be.
This show is a can't miss moment in bluegrass and offers a one-time chance to hear all the artists from the album together on one stage. Featuring some of the most legendary instrumentalists in bluegrass music's history alongside some of the best of the new generation of players: Sam Bush and Sierra Hull; fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Stuart Duncan; multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses; dobro master Jerry Douglas; bassists Edgar Meyer and Mark Schatz, guest banjoist Tony Trischka, and Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle on guitars.
I’m all over the place this fall! Whether its My Bluegrass Heart, a Symphony show, my Banjo Camp, or my duo with Abigail Washburn…you can choose your own adventure and see me in the below cities.
All shows are My Bluegrass Heart unless noted otherwise.
8.20: Brevard, NC (Blue Ridge Banjo Camp Concert)
8.26: Morgantown, WV
8.27: Atlanta, GA
9.01: Richmond, VA
9.02: Mill Spring, NC
9.03: Brunswick, ME
9.04: Orkney Springs, VA
9.09: Salt Lake City, UT
9.10: Moab, UT
9.11: Breckenridge, CO
9.13: Santa Fe, NM
9.14: Steamboat Springs, CO
9.15: Boulder, CO
9.16: Cañon City, CO
9.17: Winfield, KS
10.03: Berkeley, CA
10.08: Tulsa, OK (w/ Tulsa Symphony)
10.11: Floyd, VA *
10.12: Easton, MD *
10.14: Fairfield, CT *
10.15: West Long Branch, NJ *
10.16: Port Washington, NY *
10.26: South Orange, NJ *
10.27: Brownfield, ME *
10.28: Worcester, MA *
10.29: Hartford, CT *
10.30: Philadelphia, PA *
12.07: Oxford, MS
12.08: Dallas, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.09: Austin, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.10: Houston, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.11: Birmingham, AL (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.13: Greensboro, NC (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.14: Louisville, KY
12.15: Indianapolis, IN (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.16: Ann Arbor, MI (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.17: Buffalo, NY (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.18: Charleston, WV
* indicates duo show w/ Abigail Washburn
Béla Fleck is out on the road for much of the rest of this year - hitting over 20 states - able to share the new music with lots of you folks! Below you’ll see the different bands for each part of the tour. They’re all incredible musicians, so no matter what My Bluegrass Heart show comes to your town, Béla can confidently predict fireworks! .
My Bluegrass Heart: Béla Fleck, Billy Contreras, Shaun Richardson, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses & Mark Schatz
9.14: Steamboat Springs, CO
9.15: Boulder, CO
9.16: Cañon City, CO
9.17: Winfield, KS
Béla Fleck with Symphony of the Mountains
9.24: Kingsport, TN
My Bluegrass Heart: Béla Fleck, Stuart Duncan, Jacob Jolliff, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton
9.30: Chattanooga, TN
10.02: San Francisco, CA
10.03: Berkeley, CA
Béla Fleck with the Tulsa Symphony
10.08: Tulsa, OK
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
10.11: Floyd, VA
10.12: Easton, MD
10.14: Fairfield, CT
10.15: West Long Branch, NJ
10.16: Port Washington, NY
10.26: South Orange, NJ
10.27: Brownfield, ME
10.28: Worcester, MA
10.29: Hartford, CT
10.30: Philadelphia, PA
My Bluegrass Heart: Béla Fleck, Stuart Duncan, Jacob Jolliff, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton
11.04: Owensboro, KY
11.05: Pensacola, FL
My Bluegrass Heart: Béla Fleck, Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton
12.07: Oxford, MS
12.08: Dallas, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.09: Austin, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.10: Houston, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.11: Birmingham, AL (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.13: Greensboro, NC (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.14: Louisville, KY
12.15: Indianapolis, IN (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.16: Ann Arbor, MI (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.17: Buffalo, NY (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.18: Charleston, WV
Touring in 2022 is coming to an end, just one more run of My Bluegrass Heart dates in December. The band is so hot and so joyful. Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Sierra Hull on mandolin, Justin Moses on - well - everything, Mark Schatz on bass, and Bryan Sutton on guitar - this was the band that kicked off the My Bluegrass Heart tour. You’ll see a lot of these dates have Punch Brothers on the bill. We’ve sure been looking forward to that! What will we come up with for those shows? There’s only one way for you to find out!
My Bluegrass Heart: Béla Fleck, Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton
12.07: Oxford, MS
12.08: Dallas, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.09: Austin, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.10: Houston, TX (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.11: Birmingham, AL (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.13: Greensboro, NC (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.14: Louisville, KY
12.15: Indianapolis, IN (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.16: Ann Arbor, MI (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.17: Buffalo, NY (w/ Punch Brothers)
12.18: Charleston, WV
The Flecktones are going out together for the first time since 2019 in June, including a set at Telluride Bluegrass Festival! Tickets are on sale now.
Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn:
02.02: Beaver Creek, CO (w/ Colorado Symphony)
02.03: Denver, CO (w/ Colorado Symphony)
02.04: Denver, CO (w/ Colorado Symphony)
03.07: Sydney, Australia
03.08: Brisbane, Australia
03.10: Adelaide, Australia
03.12: Adelaide, Australia
03.14: Melbourne, Australia
03.17: New Plymouth, New Zealand
03.18: New Plymouth, New Zealand
Béla Fleck & My Bluegrass Heart:
03.30: Newark, OH
03.31: St. Louis, MO
04.01: Knoxville, TN
Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussain & Rakesh Chaurasia:
04.19: Nashville, TN
04.20: Atlanta, GA
04.21: Germantown, TN
04.22: Boone, NC
04.23: North Bethesda, MD
04.25: Charleston, SC
04.27: Danville, KY
04.29: Cutler Bay, FL
04.30: Charlotte, NC
05.02: Munhall, PA
05.03: Norfolk, VA
05.04: New York, NY
05.05: Troy, NY
05.06: Boston, MA
05.07: Waterville, ME
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones:
06.10: Fort Wayne, IN
06.11: Milwaukee, WI
06.13: Oklahoma City, OK
06.14: Santa Fe, NM
06.18: Telluride, CO
