Photos and review by: Jason Robey

CHARLOTTE, NC — Jam veterans the String Cheese Incident made their first full concert appearance in Charlotte in two decades on Saturday, to the delight of a sold out crowd of eager fans. The air was perfect for a high-energy, genre-bending swirl of sound and light. Long before the first note rang out, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation for an evening of musical exploration and good times.

The Wood Brothers opened the night with a groove-heavy hour long set that made a perfect warm up for the eager crowd. Oliver Wood’s raspy vocals and vivid storytelling coupled with Chris Wood’s thumping upright bass got the growing audience dancing early on. Multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix added texture and rhythm with everything from drums to his signature “shuitar,” giving the trio a dynamic sound that defied their small footprint on stage. Their unique blend of blues, folk, and Americana delivered strong with fan favorites like “Little Bit Broken” and “Luckiest Man.” The group has had a big month with the announcement of a headlining slot on Jam Cruise 2026 as well as a new album to be released this August.

As twilight descended, the String Cheese Incident took the stage, launching into a two-set performance with a breezy and relatively succinct performance of “Song In My Head.” From there, they took off into jam territory with a 30-plus minute non-stop run of “These Waves” > “Djibouti Bump” > “Piece Of Mine” > “Lend Me a Hand” that put their improvisational prowess on full display. Barely taking time to breathe, they jumped into another set of seamless transitions, featuring long time signature songs “Rhythm of the Road” and their version of Weather Report’s “Birdland.”

The second set brought the evening to a new level, with SCI delving deeper into their sonic explorations, adding more electronic elements to their bluegrass and Americana roots. With the sun fully out of sight, it was time for the band’s dazzling light show to complement the swirling psychedelia of the set-opening “All We Got.” A 15-minute “The Big Reveal” gave the group the chance to delve into deeper funk-tinted jams, with each member getting their chance to shine. Always masters of controlling the mood through their setlist, the band lightened the vibe with a cover of the traditional bluegrass song “How Mountain Girls Can Love” before taking back off into outer space with a rendition of “Tinder Box” that used an extended jam to eventually morph into “Shantytown” and finally ending the set with “Desert Dawn.”

An encore of the mostly instrumental “BollyMunster” gave the audience one last opportunity to dance the Saturday night away, with its thumping house beat and Eastern European folk melody. For more than 30 years, the String Cheese Incident has been a pillar of the jam band community, allowing their sound to evolve along with the members, always keeping their live shows interesting and unique. This is a band to make sure and catch on the road.