Ralph Stanley

The show was amazing Ralph is at the top of his game.Still able to echo his Applachian tone as well as he did 60 years ago.

Despite the shock of not seeing longtime bassman Jack Cook come out with the band, the Stanley sound is still strong and sure. New bass player Jimmy Cameron has a good handle on what makes the Clinch Mt. Boys fit with Ralph's vocals. The leaner line-up without young Nathen worked very well - lately Ralph Stanley's shows have seemed to be the "Nathen and Papaw Show" - each of the "Boys" (including Ralph II) was featured strongly and got to step up and show what they do best. Hearing fiddler Dewey Brown on high harmony vocals was a pleasant surprise. Steve and James always do a great job and Ralph can still "Cut the Mustard" - as well as "Cuttin' the Cornbread". They took lots of requests - even some old Stanley Brothers tunes not done in years - Ralph still has most of them in his head. Ralph II and James Shelton's shirt pocket filled in any gaps that showed up.

Seeing Dr. Ralph Stanley in his Golden Years was amazing. It was like witnessing living history. He Is truly a "National Treasure". The Clinch Mountain Boys are not to be missed! It was a great night!

His show was great! Sold out crowd. The crowd was really into the whole thing. (of course there were a few "Ann Arborites" who were acting a little stuffy in our row of seats.) Ralph was entertaining and funny. His band was terrific, talented and witty too.

Ralph Stanley can still sing bluegrass like no one else and the Clinch Mountain Boys were show-stopping

The event exceeded my expectations - Ralph Stanley sang all the great songs, responded to audience requests. The Clinch Mountain boys - fiddler, guitarist and banjo player were exceptional. Atmosphere at the Ark enhances the musical experience This was a memorable country music moment!

He appreciates his fans as much as they appreciate him. He did not seem in a hurry and spent much of the evening taking requests. He is an amazing performer with a wonderful back up band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. Can't wait for his next visit.

Never been to The Ark before, was pleasantly surprised on how up close and personal the event was. I cant believe a true bluegrass legend was a few rows away. Ralph was truly amazing. Cant believe at his age how he sings his soul out. The Clinch Mtn Boys were awesome in their own right. Really enjoyed Nathan, the boy has true talent.

The banjo and guitar players were amazing - worth seeing on their own. Nathan Stanley has a lot of talent, indeed. And Dr. Stanley himself is, as he wants to be, a most excellent entertainer - he can still sing and play the banjo and entertain the crowd. Dr. Stanley and the band walked around the Ark and were more than polite - they were all gentlemen, regardless of their stature, fame, and talent. There's no excuse not to see him while you still can, no one lives forever.

Ralph Stanley was amazing for an 82 year old. Much better than expected. The Ark is the best place around to see a preformance like this. Ticketmaster sucks. Wont use them again.

Absolutely loved the show. Great traditional bluegrass, the harmonizing, music and sound was the best. This show is a first class, rate A show.

I think that Ralph Stanley should retire gracefully. He is still charismatic but his voice has long gone south and he is so tired. He said so a few times, His grandson is amazing and the Clinch mountain boys are really good. But Ralph you are definitely past your sell by date.

Thoroughly enjoyed Ralph Stanley - made me homesick for Tennessee where I long to be.

After many years of enjoying bluegrass, I thought I would be a good idea to see a legend. I do understand that Dr. Stanley is getting on in age, but unfortunately that is not an excuse to constantly be looking at his watch and promoting his book and so many other things. At one point everything just stopped for about ten minutes for nothing but promotions. The presentation was unfortunate because his voice sounded great, but it seemed he was not really willing to give very much of himself. instead, for a majority of the show, he just stood there while the band members played.

The concert was great. It was like watching him in my own living room. A very friendly atmosphere where the band is right in front of you. They treat you more like a friend than a fan. It was a birthday gift my brother will not soon forget.

Awesome concert!!!! Took my 10-year old son for his birthday and he loved it. He wants to go to another concert. I can't wait until Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys return to town...you can bet we will be there!

Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys provide the very best in bluegrass music. Dr. Stanley is a national treasure and he has been performing for over 60 years. His old style mountain music is the best of its genre. The band puts on a great show and is energetic. All of them are very accessible and are always willing to talk to fans during the intermission and before and after the show. I am rating this four instead of five stars because Dr. Stanley is now in his late 80s and does not sing or interact with the audience nearly as much as he used to. His grandson, who is a great singer and performer in his own right, holds everything together. Dr. Stanley seemed very tired and worn and a little disoriented; I think although he loves to perform, he is not in as good health as he was even a year or two ago. Perhaps he needs to turn the reigns over to his grandson Nathan who can carry on the great Stanley tradition. It is always great to see him, however, and I always take advantage of seeing Stanley's band when they come to town.

Ralph Stanley did not appear to be in good enough health to be being expected to be part of a touring music group. i felt badly seeing him trying to be a part of the show.

This was my first time seeing Dr. Ralph Stanley perform. It was unforgettable. He did not seem to feel well that night, and he only sang a few songs with the rest of the band, but he did manage to rasp out a chilling version of "Oh Death" and "Amazing Grace." While it was slightly disappointing that Dr. Stanley did not sing very much, it was all the more moving when he WAS able to summon the breath to belt out a line or two. The rest of the band was absolutely fantastic. The venue was close and personal, we got to shake the hands of all of the members and get autographs. It was a great show.

Overall, it was a wonderful performance. Ralph Stanley was looking dapper and doing well for a man of 87 years of age. And for the most part the Clinch Mountain Boys, led by Dr. Stanley's grandson Nathan, were great as well. My only complaint was that during the second half of the show, the momentum was stopped when Nathan Stanley started talking about his religious activities and Dewey Brown (fiddle player) brought out some sort of biblical trumpet made out of a horn, spent 10 minutes explaining how it was featured in the bible, and then spent 5 minutes playing it. The rest of the band and Dr Stanley were off stage for this internal. The audience paid to hear bluegrass, not biblical horns. If Dr. Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys returns to the Birchmere, I would hope management would request that the biblical horn segment be deleted

Great...Ralph was in fine form....a real treat to see the legend himself!

Great Showing! We love Ralph Stanley, Nathan and Ralph Stanley II !! What a talented family.

Firt time seeing Ralph Stanley in person. It was the best show ever! A real down home feeling and then the audience was asked to sing along for two songs.

This was a wonderful show and opportunity to see a real legend.

This was an opportunity to see one of the iconic members of the music industry a living, breathing piece of Americana . The show did not disappoint as it showcased a worn but still vibrate voice. Even though Mr. Stanley seemed fragile he still managed to hit the high notes and the impromptu song selection during the second half of the show was amazing.

Totally awesome concert with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. Ralph still rocks it at 86 years old! All band members were so over the top great. Ralph's son and grandson were so cool and very talented also. So glad that they are taking such good care of Ralph. Ralph still has the voice and gets those bluegrass songs belted out there. The show was so great. They did about an hour and 15 mins, then did autographs for 20 mins or so, and then back again for another hour plus of music. And they did more autographs after the show. It was a truly awesome experience and we are so glad that we got to see this show.

Saw him and the Clinch Mountain Boys at the Met Theater in Morgantown, WV. Wonderful venue and awesome show. At his age, there probably won't be a lot more opportunities to see him, so it was great to get the chance. Truly an icon in his genre.

any one who loves bluegrass music must go see ralph he is old but still got it sounded great band was great played to the crowd with lots of request all your favorites

Ralph Stanley has aged gracefully. His frailty and memory were apparent, but his singing did not falter. I got goosebumps when he sang "O Death"! The Clinch Mountain Boys were solid. Most of the second half, they simply took requests. There seemed to be no end to their repertoire.

This was our first event at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. Very intimate venue. I though the seats were nice. There seemed to be a little sound issue with several songs, but overall the experience was good.

I loved seeing Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. They were down-home, easy, laid back and fabulous. I could see this show every weekend. Love Ralph Stanley and the gang.

Ralph Stanley, once again, had an excellent program. It's great to see someone going strong after 84 years.

I would gladly listen to Ralph Stanley as long as the Lord lets him be here with us . However, May 19's concert in Durham was a big disappointment. None of it was Ralph's fault. The show was titled "Ralph Stanley" but really featured his grandson Nathan Stanley, living proof that musical ability is not passed along in one's genes. The first half of the concert was Nathan with many electric instruments. This would have been a dreary set in the best of circumstances but the Carolina Theatre's sound engineering was probably the worst I have ever heard in any concert venue. Overall too loud. Lyrics unintelligible. Dreadful fuzzy distorted feedback from the electric bass. I would have walked out but I came to hear Ralph, who did not perform in the first half. The second half gave us Ralph Stanley and an acoustic bluegrass group using standing mikes. Sound was fine. Ralph was great.

We had such a good time and enjoyed the show. We also enjoyed Cooter from Dukes of Hazard as well.

Venue was intimate and band members were gracious. Nice to have such a legend be so approachable.

Ralph Stanley is a national treasure. Unfortunately, we didn't really get Ralph Stanley, or didn't get him for very long. In what was an outrageous bait and switch, the audience was subjected to at least an hour and a half of his grandson, Nathan, singing in an amateurish venture at being a sparkly country singer, complete with electrified instruments. He also appeared to be dressed as an Elvis imitator, which was exceedingly odd. This was at an ear splitting volume to a half empty house (did anyone do a sound check based on ticket sales?). I will add that most of the audience appeared to feel the same. Applause was half hearted and one many was so upset about the sound quality that he went to speak to the management. When Ralph Stanley did appear, he was wonderful and we would have cheerfully paid the same money for just the 30 minutes or so he sang. We wouldn't have felt cheated at all. Instead, we did feel we'd been made fools of. He is very old and a short concert is something folks would understand. I admire his family solidarity, trying to establish his grandson, but he is tarnishing his own name in promoting Nathan. The tour organizers ought to be challenged about their billing it as a concert by "Ralph Stanley," with" Nathan Stanley" in tiny letters, suggesting he has a support or ancillary role. The Clinch Mountain Boys (the non-electric) musicians were terrific. So were the electric ones, for that matter.

I went to see Dr. Ralph Stanley as the websites all read. Nathan, his grandson, took over more than half of the show. It felt like a bait and switch. Nathan's claim to fame will be having the last name Stanley. The piano player came out to the crowd and talked about Nathan for a while and then a band appeared with drums and electric bass (that's a whole other topic,) and threw down a breakdown which had the audience thumping. Then, "without further adieu" here comes a guy wearing black jeans, a sequened blazer and sporting Elvis' worst hair day who sang song after song. Not only could he not sing well but they used the sound to drown him out, he would holler during solos, and always announce the key of the next song, as if he can sing in more than one key. Cooter from Dukes of Hazzard made an appearance next and actually sang really well. That was a nice treat. Finally, after an intermission... the great Ralph Stanley came on stage and tore the little house down. It was a pleasure and a joy to see this classic still perform with such energy. We were even lucky enough to get to see him play some banjo! Next time you consider seeing Ralph Stanley, just be sure that it's a Ralph and the Clinch Mountain Boys on the bill...

A unique and incomparable artist. He preformed non stop for at least 20 minutes in the same clear and forceful minor keyed voice of his youth. It was a rare and very special performance. He even played the banjo a bit. I felt honored in his presence. I guess I didn't realize that it wasn't his show but his grandson, Nathan's show. Nathan at 19 has a wonderful voice and he did a good job covering songs from the 50's and early 60's. Cooter from Dukes of Hazzard performed in the middle 20 minutes and I must say he is a powerful singer and performer. He has a great stage presence and we so enjoyed him. The last third of the show was Ralph. And as I said, he was just so on and so special. I think Nathan is going to be a great singer. I think i would have enjoyed him more if his part had been acoustic and with, perhaps a smaller support band. All in all - a very enjoyable evening.

My oldest son and I saw him for the first time. Still sings with a lot of soul. Very competent accompanying band. His grandson was a guitarist the whole evening and his son made a stage appearance for a couple songs. I would have liked the music a bit louder but the venue is good. Only disappointment for me was he did not perform Poor Rambler.

Ralph is still bringing it to us. He has made some compensation because of his age and I have read some critical reviews about this but Ralph concentrates on what he can do. Even at his age, few singers have the singing range that he has. For many this is a chance to say I went to a Ralph Stanley live concert. I have been listening to Ralph music for over 60 years but for younger folks this is a chance to see and hear the Legend.

Dr. Ralf Sanley was wondeful. I would go seehim again at the Birchmere anytime.

The Birchmere is a great place to see shows. Ralph Stanley always puts on a great show there. They did alot of the classic songs that has made Ralph a great legend of Bluegrass. He took request and did a fine job on doing them. He came back two times for encores.

Outstanding show! Entertaining and full of enjoyment!

Loved the concert. Impressed with friendly group and friendly audience. Had a great time. Perfect experience (except for the long wait for any Birchmere concert to start!) Good food and good service. Love being so close to the performer.

I didn't go due to a work conflict, but my Aunt who is a bluegrass fan went with my cousin and said she thoroughly enjoyed it.

There were 5 of us that went and we were 4 rows from the stage... It was wonderful for us to see Ralph and his Band playing his hits from over the years... It was a surprise for our uncle; it was nice to share the expirence with a family member. The Ark is a cozy venue to see one of the greatist of all time.