Lukas Nelson & Molly Tuttle at the Palace Theatre in Albany, NY on September 9, 2026
Lukas Nelson and Molly Tuttle joined forces, co-headlining an amazing show at the historic Palace Theatre in Albany on Wednesday September 9, 2026, with each artist playing full sets and making appearances in each other’s performances. Tuttle, Nelson, and Tuttle’s fiddle player started out the night with a cover of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” where Tuttle and Nelson’s voices blended so well, and Tuttle played the first of many spectacular solos, providing a preview or premonition that patrons were in for a special show from these two talented artists.
Dynamic multi-Grammy-winning artist Tuttle has established herself as an accomplished modern bluegrass guitarist, whose flurrying and fast finger-picking playing style rivals that of a banjo player. She is so comfortable and confident in her playing ability, she rarely looks down at the fretboard. Her overall multi-genre sound blends traditional and modern bluegrass, roots, Americana, pop, and rock, performed deftly by her talented backing band consisting of Vanessa McGowan (electric and stand-up bass, backing vocals), and Megan Jane on drums and percussion, Karl Smakula (banjo and pedal steel), and Casey Connor (mandolin, fiddle, and backing vocals), who moved effortlessly between acoustic bluegrass numbers and electric Americana roots-rock from her opening story-song “Rosalee” to her closing outlaw bluegrass tale “Dooley’s Farm” (that she segued aptly into CSNY’s “Ohio,” which contains a similar progression and feel). Her set included original fast-paced bluegrass songs (“Over The Line), clever genre-blending roots (“That’s Gonna Leave a Mark”), and edgy rock (“Everything Burns”), all grounded in Tuttle’s clear, warm, “honey-dewed” vocals and her dexterous lightning-fast flatpicking guitar playing prowess.
I have to give a shout out to her front-of-house soundman Jojo Kobylecky, who did an outstanding job throughout her entire set flawlessly mixing the (often tricky) acoustic instruments and changing music styles. Besides her own original material, Tuttle and her band performed some choice covers, including an interesting take on The Rolling Stones “She’s a Rainbow,” with Tuttle plucking her guitar strings slowly to mimic the Stones’ famous piano note riff, pausing the band and creating some amusing anticipation before each verse, a faithful rendition of Joni Mitchell’s classic “Big Yellow Taxi” (Tuttle’s tenor vocals sounding so close to Mitchell’s), and a wonderful tribute to (the late) Dolly Parton with “9 to 5,” where her bass and fiddle players joined her to form a trio setup huddled around the center mic.
Two Golden Highway songs were the epic center pieces of the night: “Alice in the Bluegrass,” a song Tuttle said she wrote about her two loves: Bluegrass music and Alice in Wonderland, then offered, “Let’s take a trip down the rabbit hole!” (during which her band played on the front edge of the stage) and “Where Did All the Wild Things Go?” where Tuttle got the audience to sing the “do do do do” backing vocal, traversed the stage, and gave each of her band members a chance to show their talents. Tuttle was quite entertaining to watch and was a personable, charming, and formidable presence. Before “Side Saddle,” she explained, “This is a cowgirl equity song, for all you cowgirls out there who don’t want to ride side saddle.”
During “Everything Burns,” Tuttle wielded a double-necked acoustic guitar with a 12-string and 6-string neck, which she proceeded to play a fiery solo on each during the song. “Anything that has been holding back or letting you down, just let it all go,” she advised, then launched into “Old Me (New Wig),” in the middle of which, she paused and pronounced, “Off with the old me!” tossed off her wig, and finished her set with a bald head. Tuttle explained that she has lived with alopecia universalis—a rare and total form of hair loss caused by an autoimmune disease—since she was three years old, and shares her story to promote advocacy and awareness. She next song, “Crooked Tree,” an empowering anthem about self-acceptance and individuality using trees left out of the timber mill as a metaphor for living wild and free, further illustrated her tenacity and strive for self-authenticity, and received a standing ovation afterward. Tuttle and her band put on a well-executed, high energy, and entertaining show. Don’t miss a chance to see her on this current tour. https://www.mollytuttlemusic.com/
Lukas Nelson came out of the gates swinging with his high-energy, foot-stomping country-rock song “Fool Me Once,” which began a stellar set of tunes that blended traditional classic country, acoustic folk, Americana, and rock. His solid backing band consisted of key “Promise of the Real” players – bassist Corey McCormick (who played a variety of basses during the night) and talented percussionist Tato Melgar – along with multi-instrumentalist Jake Simpson (on fiddle, acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Dakota Holden (pedal steel and acoustic guitar), Eli Kleiner (piano, keyboards, backing vocals), and Maxwell Flanders on drums.
After a string of upbeat songs, Nelson created an intimate solo acoustic moment with “Turn Off the News (Build a Garden),” which garnered cheers of approval with its too relatable lyrics about the mind-numbing news cycle and yearning for community, family, and togetherness. He then carried on with a spirited performance of energetic full-band-driven arrangements that had people dancing in the aisles, clapping along, and tapping their feet in their seats. Nelson’s dynamic vocal power, vibrato, and emotion were on display (at times tinged with a bit of that familiar young Willie Nelson Texas twang), as well as his skillful guitar playing. He switched between four different guitars, and played bluesy-rock and soulful solos, at times melodic, at times raw and expressive, and at times dueling with Simpson going back and forth in a stringed instrument showdown on certain songs.
Halfway through the set, Nelson addressed the multitude, “How you feeling out there? Thanks for coming out on a Wednesday night. I hope you like to dance” before playing the Classic Country tinged “Carolina,” where Kleiner performed an impressive honky-tonk piano solo, and enthusiastic patrons ran down front at Nelson’s supposed invitation. Afterward, the band revved up the energy with on “Die Alone,” McCormick playing a funky bass solo, which led into an all-out jam that had him, Nelson, and Simpson jumping in unison.
Their final number, “Find Yourself,” had Nelson belting out the lyrics – powerful, gritty, and gospel-tinged – pushing his dramatic vocals to emotional peaks while maintaining crystal-clear pitch. Nelson encouraged everyone to sing the final chorus refrain “I hope you find yourself before I find somebody else” three times, then played an intense high-register guitar solo to the end of the song, which received a spontaneous standing ovation. After band introductions, he called Tuttle back out. “What a wonderful Wednesday night!” she alliteratively exclaimed upon returning to the stage (with her wig back in place), before they performed “Friend in the End,” a pleasant country-folk ballad of Nelson’s with Americana overtones, with Tuttle and Nelson’s harmonies once again blending as nicely as they did at the start of the night. Tuttle’s bassist and fiddle player came out next to join the ensemble for Tuttle’s “Take The Journey,” they all bowed arm-in-arm afterward, and left the stage waving and smiling, but the Palace patron’s wanted more, cheering, howling, and clapping, until they acquiesced and came back. Nelson confessed, “Molly has never played this one with us before, but I think it might make a good closer,” and went into their final song of the night “Make You Happy” (which had Nelson switching out three different guitars during the intro before settling on just the right one). The song, with one more strong vocal from Nelson and one more impeccable solo from Tuttle, did make for a good closer and did indeed make the crowd happy. https://lukasnelson.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Show Review: Tedeschi Trucks with Lukas Nelson at Tanglewood and here: Show Review: Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor at Monterey Golden State Theatre
LUKAS NELSON SETLIST
Fool Me Once
High Trees
The Last Wild River
Pretty Much
Just Outside of Austin
Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)
Set Me Down on a Cloud
Ladder of Love
Carolina
Die Alone
Find Yourself
Band intros
Friend in the End (with Molly Tuttle)
Take The Journey (Molly Tuttle song)
ENCORE:
Make You Happy (with Molly Tuttle & ensemble)
MOLLY TUTTLE SETLIST:
Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Neil Young cover with Lukas Nelson)
Rosalee
The Highway Knows
She’s a Rainbow (The Rolling Stones cover)
Over the Line
Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell cover)
That’s Gonna Leave A Mark
Alice in the Bluegrass
Band intros
Where Did All the Wild Things Go?
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton cover)
San Joaquin
Side Saddle
Everything Burns
Old Me (New Wig)
Crooked Tree
Dooley’s Farm > Ohio (Neil Young cover)