Gillian Welch & David Rawlings @ Ruth Finley Person Theater, Santa Rosa, CA, USA, 03/14/2025

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings haven't been touring for a while. The last time I saw them live was on March 1, 2018, when they played at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The show at the Ruth Finley Person Theater, which is part of the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa and holding around 1,600 seats, was completely sold out.

The duo opened with Orphan Girl, one of Gillian's tunes from her Revival album, and then invited bassist Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers, Hawktail) on stage. He played on most of the songs they performed. In the first set, I was especially thrilled to get Cumberland Gap — one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life. They also played a few tracks from Gillian and David's excellent new record Woodland, and my favorite among them was the awesome Turf the Gambler. Gillian picked up the banjo for Howdy Howdy, and David brought out the harmonica on Wrecking Ball.

The second set kicked off with some new material and also featured Gillian's old favorites Hard Times and The Way It Goes. Then came a huge surprise: David launched into Dylan's Dear Landlord, singing two verses followed by an instrumental break that seamlessly morphed into the Grateful Dead's Candyman, before circling back to finish with the third verse of that Bob's song from John Wesley Harding album. Wow, that was something special!

For the encore, they delivered Look at Miss Ohio, one of Gillian's biggest hits, and the old gospel tune I'll Fly Away. There was no second encore, but honestly, after such a great Dylan/Dead sandwich, that's easy to forgive. Though I have to say, I did miss Revelator. Still, that was an absolutely stunning concert — one of the best in 2025, even though the year is still young. So many amazing songs, wonderful instrumental sounds, and gorgeous vocal harmonies.

Set 1 (8:13 PM — 9:03 PM): Orphan Girl, Midnight Train, Empty Trainload of Sky, Cumberland Gap, North Country, Howdy Howdy, Turf the Gambler, Wrecking Ball, Ruby, Wayside / Back in Time

Set 2 (9:24 PM — 10:10 PM): Lawman, What We Had, Hard Times, Hashtag, The Way It Will Be, The Way It Goes, Dear Landlord (v1&2) > Candyman > Dear Landlord (v3), Red Clay Halo

Encore (10:11 PM — 10:20 PM): Look at Miss Ohio, I'll Fly Away

P.S. Word came out after the show that there was supposed to be another encore featuring Revelator, but the lighting technician turned on the house lights too early. Uh-oh.

Wild Goose oysters from Rhode Island

20x Wild Goose oyster
Narragansett Bay, RI
Species: Atlantic oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
ROC monthly selection



Medium-sized shells of brown color with beige tones and occasional brick-red patches. Well-shaped and quite attractive. The shells are strong and thick, making shucking easy most of the time, and contain just enough moderately firm meat. The flavor has noticeable saltiness, prosciutto, vegetable broth, mineral notes, a touch of mushroom, and a somewhat buttery finish. Briny and savory — excellent! One of the best oysters the East Coast can produce. I really love Atlantic oysters from Rhode Island in particular — there's something about their system of salt ponds that makes these shellfish especially delicious.

Highland Park CS tasting notes

Highland Park Cask Strength NAS 75cl 64.7% ABV
Release 5
A mix of first-fill, sherry-seasoned European oak casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, refill, bourbon, and first-fill sherry-seasoned American oak casks
Bottle code L0041G L04 29/03 06:43


Color: amber.
Nose: Orkney peat, salty sea air, a bit of lacquer, maple syrup, sunflower seeds, bread crumbs, smoke, nuts, apples, dates, ham, dried mushrooms, vanilla, clove, tobacco, muesli, caramel, cherries in chocolate. Quite rich, with a lot of things going on.
Taste: peat, a touch of smoke, prunes, lemons, coffee, apricots, honey, pepper, blueberry pie, dates, salt, toffee. Powerful, and not overly sweet.
Finish: peat, pepper, salt, honey, caramel, cocoa, lemon zest, medicinal herbs. Good, though the youth of the malt becomes more noticeable here.
Score: 8 ¾. Better than good. +2+2+1.

Conclusion: a solid cask-strength Highland Park, despite its obvious youth. Both sherry and Orkney peat are clearly present, and the high ABV is very enjoyable. I wasn't in the mood to add water. 88/100. Didn't buy any of their previous official CS releases — looks like that was a mistake. Highland Park delivers as usual. Life is good.

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