The Tony Rice Unit

you can not review tony rice the words do not exist. the food was good the service great and the sound man was excellent. every song was a favorite and a great night out spent with my wife.

Sierra Hull continues to amaze with her dizzying acrobatics on the mandolin. Her voice is pure and sweet and her arrangements and performances are testament to her growing musical maturity, WOW. Tony Rice has been a long time favorite of mine and to so many people as he continues to perform jaw-dropping guitar instrumental leads, Manzanita was unbelievable with the call and response work he arranged with Josh, simply a treat to watch and hear.

Great sound,great act,great food, what else can you say!

Fantastic Evening - Sierra Hull and Highway 111 was a very tight unit, playing impeccably and stylishly; good selection of songs. Tony Rice Unit = an hour of transfixing jazz-inflected bluegrass by present and future demi-gods of the genre. Best TRU show I've seen in several years. The energy was there!!

Tony Rice is still the most amazing acoustic guitarist you'll ever see. He has always been an innovator, and remains so. Was great to see a couple of his long-time band members -- Rickie Simpkins (fiddle) and Wyatt Rice (brother, guitar) -- playing with him. I always love to hear both of them play, as they are fine musicians. Josh Williams on mandolin & vocals was great. I love his voice, and he can play anything with strings. Brynn Davies on acoustic bass was WONDERFUL. That woman can really play a bass. I had a blast listening to her, and she seems like a very cool lady. It's always great to see Tony play. He's not only one of my favorite musicians but also one of my favorite people on this planet. I worked around many professional musicians for many years, and Tony is just one of the very best. A true virtuoso. It was really neat when Tony handed Wyatt his 1935 Martin D-28 Herringbone ("The Bone") to play lead on "I Am A Pilgrim," and Wyatt said "I'll give you fifty bucks for it." I know these guys, and this was a very cool moment between brothers. And that D-28 is the sweetest guitar on the planet. There was just a colossal amount of musicianship on that stage Friday night. Opening Act, Sierra Hull and Highway 111 are really great. Look out Rhonda Vincent and Alison Krauss. This girl can not only sing great, but she can also play the snot out of a mandolin and also writes her own songs. She has a very talented band too. I was quite pleasantly surprised. I'd never heard her before, and I was very impressed. She has a new fan. When someone like Tony Rice plays, it's easy to forget the opening act. But Sierra's music stayed with me. (Must go online and buy CDs!)

Tony Rice once again showed why he is considered one of the best guitarists on the planet. The supporting players of the Unit were simply amazing. In acoustic flat pick guitar playing, Mr. Rice stands alone at the very top, no disrespect to Doc Watson. Bluegrass music at its best.

Sierra Hull and band did a great job to get the evening started. The band is already performing at an impressive level, but Sierra is still developing her incredible talents and accumulating experience. I hesitate to compare her to another famous young female performer - since everyone already has - who went through a similar developmental process. If she continues on her current trajectory, she will end up right at the top of the business. Great picking from all her top-notch sidemen. The combined bill coincidentally hosted four of the world's top flatpick guitarists (one playing mandolin, which is another story in itself), and although Highway 111 guitarist and singer Clay Hess humbly described himself as "mediocre" in that company, he assuredly is NOT. The current configuration of the Tony Rice Unit need not apologize to any of Tony's now legendary bands of the past. Tony's imagination was constantly stretching himself to the limits of his physical ability, which is still formidable. If the stage was a chessboard, Rickie Simpkins and Rob Ickes were like two powerful castles dominating the left and right flanks with instrumental pyrotechnics. Bryn Davies is a ferocious bass player whose skills continue to improve and provide an extremely soulful foundation. Wyatt Rice added his word-class rhythm guitar work as well as a number of well-crafted solos to the mix. Last but not least is the incredible Josh Williams, the reigning three-time IBMA winner for best guitar. Playing mandolin and singing in this Unit, he demonstrated some jaw-dropping mandolin talent and top-notch singing. Long-time Tony Rice fans remember Tony's incredible singing talent (he was one of the best bluegrass singers ever). Now unable to sing, Tony asked Josh Williams to perform several memorable vocal numbers. A fully worthy alternative.