Trampled by Turtles, Riviera Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

Trampled by Turtles is a bluegrass ensemble hailing from Duluth, Minnesota. The band consists of guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle. An extra guitarist also joined them on stage for the entire set as well as a string quartet for a few songs. We didn't arrive particularly early but with the show not being anywhere close to sold out, we were able to get very close to the stage.

Most of the crowd standing near us in the front were really into the show, including one character that was asking where everyone around him, “Where are you from, no, I mean really from?” I think he was just proud that his home state of West Virginia was more American than anywhere else. He also loudly proclaimed throughout the show, “Fuck ISIS,” as if it needed to be stated.

While I couldn't find the exact setlist, the turtles played most of the songs that I wanted to hear including “Codeine,” “Lucy,” and “Wait So Long.” It was a lot like seeing other modern bluegrass jam bands like Yonder Mountain String Band and Greensky Bluegrass. There were a lot of extended jams; one song meandered into the next. They also played a long set, such that the venue was becoming even emptier as the show went on; we even left before any encore.