Ramblin' Jack Elliott @ HopMonk Tavern, Novato, CA, USA, 05/17/2025

The evening began with an opening set by Andy Hedges from Lubbock, TX, who delivered a solid collection of cowboy songs. I especially enjoyed his version of Tom Russell's The Sky Above, the Mud Below. Andy also included some striking recitations of cowboy poetry that really held the room. Well, especially that one by Waddie Mitchell about a dead cow in a stream. That was indeed... something. He closed the set alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Maggie Rose, on fiddle. They performed Goodbye Old Paint, and it was a real highlight. A very cool start to the night!

Before the main set, a local cowboy, Gary Felder from Sonoma, took the stage and recited a great poem that added nicely to the atmosphere. Right after, Jack appeared, surprisingly sporting a goatee, accompanied by Paul Knight on bass. They kicked things off with Buffalo Skinners, a traditional tune many know from Woody Guthrie's repertoire. Then Andy returned to the stage and stayed for the rest of the set. The trio got into a few more Guthrie tunes, with Hedges singing parts of Philadelphia Lawyer. Jack told plenty of stories, so in the end only six songs made it into the set. Too few! They wrapped up the night with The Cuckoo, joined by Maggie Rose on fiddle. It was the best version of that song I've ever heard from Jack!

It was great to see Ramblin' Jack again. Hard to believe he'll be turning 94 in a few months.

Set list (Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 9:16 PM — 10:05 PM): Buffalo Skinners, Philadelphia Lawyer, Ladies Auxiliary, Railroad Bill, Pretty Boy Floyd, The Cuckoo

( Few more pix... )