Bluegrass royalty made a pit-stop in Alexandria recently, when Peter Rowan and the Sam Grisman Project arrived at The Birchmere for a show. It was a night of great bluegrass music and storytelling — from Rowan’s perspective as Grisman did not speak much but backed up the lack of conversation with just great bluegrass music.
Grisman, the son of legendary musician David Grisman (the founder of Dawg Music), opened the show in simplistic fashion, just walking leisurely onto the stage and jamming on bass followed by the rest of his band. On March 25, Grisman and band opened the show with “Opus 38” and “Long Hard Year,” which showed his band at its best.
Watch Sam Grisman Project perform “Opus 38” live with David “Dawg” Grisman on YouTube:
Grisman would be on stage throughout the night and be joined by Rowan intermittently for a few songs, who would then deflect back to Grisman with Rowan taking a pause, and later rejoining for more songs and a finale at the end.
Rowan, who has been doing bluegrass for decades, was in great form throughout the evening. When not playing great bluegrass music that takes us back to the legendary times of Bill Monroe, he was telling stories that have helped define his legacy in the business. Rowan has been playing bluegrass since the 1950s and does not appear to be letting up just yet. Rowan was also in the band called Earth Opera along with David Grisman back in the 1960s, as well as numerous music projects along the way.
The performances at The Birchmere were both vocally and musically fantastic; some of the best bluegrass on the planet at this time and received numerous applause and standing ovations from the audience in attendance.
Rowan started his set with a great version of “The Hobo Song” followed by “Wild Horses,” a song made famous by The Rolling Stones.
Rowan spoke often throughout the night. On one occasion, Rowan talked about the Kentucky bluegrass scene and Bill Monroe, who he played and recorded with. He told a story of a time where he asked Bill Monroe why everyone dressed up in the band. Bill advised if the fans were dressing up, they were too. That part received great laughs from the audience as well as Rowan telling the story about running out of gas in Horse Cave, Kentucky, when they were writing “Walls of Time” — one of the best songs played during the evening.
Watch Peter Rowan perform “Walls of Time” for The Cavern Sessions on YouTube:
At one point, Rowan discussed currently reading the book Be Here Now, about spirituality before kicking into a great version of “High Lonesome Sound,” which arguably was the finest moment of a night of outstanding picking and singing. This song really highlights the singing ability of Rowan and shows the band on stage at their finest.
Grisman invited Rowan back on stage for a great finale performing an old Woodie Guthrie song, “All You Fascists Bound to Lose”, which was performed heavily by Bob Dylan during his career.
The night of music at The Birchmere was definitely one of some of the finest bluegrass we have seen in the past and still experiencing now. If bluegrass music is some of your favorite music, seeing Rowan and Grisman should be added to the calendar now. They are in great form and the blend of Rowan and Grisman make for a great evening of classic bluegrass music.
Some of the Songs for The Birchmere show not already mentioned included:
1. Opus 38
2. Shady Grove
3. Long Hard Year
4. Branches
5. How Can You Keep Moving
6. Free Mexica Air Force
7. Paddy on the Turnpike
8. Mississippi Moon
9. Howlin’ at the Moon
10. Kissimmee Kid
11. Midnight Moonlight
12. Whiskey in the Jar
13. Walkin’ Down the Line
Here are some photos of Peter Rowan performing live at The Birchmere on March 25, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Sam Grisman Project performing live at The Birchmere on March 25, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
