The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is a jam/progressive bluegrass/neo-psychedelia band from Crested Butte, Colorado that has been helping folks dance their cares away since 1993-2007, 2009-present. The String Cheese Incident consists of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin/electric guitar/violin), Michael Travis (drums/percussion), Kyle Hollingsworth (piano/organ/Rhodes/accordion), Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar/lap steel guitar/electric slide guitar), Keith Moseley (bass), and Jason Hahn (auxiliary percussion). The String Cheese Incident has released eleven (11) LPs, three (3) live series, eight (8) videos, and contributed to one (1) compilation. The String Cheese Incident is well-known on the festival circuit, and hosts not one but two festivals annually: Hulaween (Live Oak, Florida) and Electric Forest (Rothbury, Michigan). I have had the pleasure of seeing The String Cheese Incident tear it down at both festivals: Electric Forest (June 22-25, 2017) and Hulaween (2016-2023). Most recently, The String Cheese Incident has also headlined a fun little festival called CaveJam (The Caverns- Pelham, Tennessee) the last two years, which also includes a special end-of-the-festival jam below in The Caverns which incidentally was amazing to attend at last year’s CaveJam. Tickets for CaveJam 2025 can be purchased through Tixr.com.

On November 15, 2024, The String Cheese Incident announced on their social media channels some new 2025 tour dates in Chicago, Atlanta, Aspen, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. For the scheduled Atlanta dates, The String Cheese Incident would play at a venue I know very well in downtown Atlanta. The Tabernacle has hosted so many legendary artists/bands over the years, that I knew Atlanta would bring their best cheesy vibes for all three nights of their February run. Knowing that I would not attend CaveJam or Hulaween in 2025, I knew this would be the best chance to get cheesy with other fans and hear Cheese do their thing on stage. Truth be told, most of the times that I have seen The String Cheese Incident perform live have been logged in at various music festivals. So, it is not often that I can catch The String Cheese Incident on an actual tour. Luckily, I can document not one but two nights on this tour: Friday, February 7th & Saturday, February 8th. Many thanks to The String Cheese Incident team for allowing me to photograph the last two nights of this unforgettable three-night stand at the historic Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta, GA.

The String Cheese Incident - Set 1 (02/07/2025)

The String Cheese Incident took the stage around 7:30 pm to a sold-out crowd for their Friday night performance after a deep-cut performance for the fans the night before. But no one was prepared for what The String Cheese Incident was about to do by starting Set 1 with an inspiring performance of “Can’t Wait Another Day” > “Little Hands”. Followed by one of my favorite songs by The String Cheese Incident, “One Step Closer” from the album of the same name, One Step Closer. Fans were packed tight on the floor of the Tabernacle, but you could not tell from the smiles on everyone as they danced to the rest of Set 1 from The String Cheese Incident.

As a treat for all the Hulaween fans in the audience, The String Cheese Incident invited an Atlanta native and longtime guest vocalist Rhonda Thomas to come out and perform a few songs with the band to begin Set 2. If you are a die-hard Hulaween fan, you may recognize Rhonda from multiple guest appearances on stage with The String Cheese Incident at Hulaween over the last decade. For this occasion, we were treated to two songs that showcased Rhonda’s stellar vocal range as they nailed each song flawlessly. Starting with the song “Sweet Spot” from the album Believe and then into a marvelous cover of The Zutons’ classic hit, “Valerie”. IYKYK.

The String Cheese Incident - Set 2 (02/07/2025)

There was a beautiful moment during a cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers “Stir It Up” nestled between “I Know You Rider” that got the sold-out fans at the Tabernacle singing in unison. What I found very interesting was The String Cheese Incident’s choice for the Encore: “Jellyfish” from their 1997 debut album, Born on the Wrong Planet. It has been a few years (Hulaween 2018) since I have seen The String Cheese Incident perform this seminal classic, so I was thrilled to hear it as the final send-off for this evening’s festivities.

Here is The String Cheese Incident’s career-spanning setlist from their Friday, February 7th performance at the Tabernacle:

Set 1

· “Can’t Wait Another Day”

· “Little Hands”

· “One Step Closer”

· “Cottonmouth”

· “Talkin’ About Tonight”

· “Dirk”

· “Texas”

Set 2

· “Sweet Spot” *

· “Valerie” **

· “All We Got”

· “I Know You Rider”

· “Stir It Up” +

· “I Know You Rider”

· “Way That It Goes”

· “Vertigo”

· “It Is What It Is”

· “Hi Ho No Show”

Encore

· “Jellyfish”

*Featuring Rhonda Thomas on vocals.

**The Zutons cover featuring Rhonda Thomas on lead vocals.

+Bob Marley and the Wailers cover.

The String Cheese Incident - Set 1 (02/08/2025)

The time had finally come for The String Cheese Incident to take the stage to the delight of all the cheese heads in attendance for the final night of this recent three-night stand. Many cheese heads had attended all three nights and were super excited to see what The String Cheese Incident had in store for their sendoff from Atlanta. Saturday began with a fan favorite “Just One Story” which was a perfect segue to a stirring cover of Vassar Clements’ “Lonesome Fiddle Blues” which is recorded on their live album A String Cheese Incident. The String Cheese Incident even indulged fans with an exhilarating performance of Led Zepplin’s classic “Ramble On”. Everyone that night in the Tabernacle knew the assignment while dancing and singing along to their impeccable rendition of a rock’n’roll masterpiece. As a bonus, The String Cheese Incident invited special guest bassist/producer from Cameroon Andre Manga on their song “Manga” and later in the evening for a special encore cover of Paul Simon’s timeless hit “Under African Skies”.

The String Cheese Incident - Set 2 (02/08/2025)

You can check out The String Cheese Incident’s mind-blowing setlist from their Saturday, February 8th show at the Tabernacle below:

Set 1

· “Just One Story”

· “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”

· “Song in My Head”

· “Manga” +

· “Sweet Melinda”

· “Way Back Home”

· “Just One Story”

Set 2

· “Group Hoot”

· “Born on the Wrong Planet”

· “Trip the Light Fantastic”

· “Lend Me A Hand”

· “Restless Wind”

· “Ramble On” *

· “River Trance”

· “Howard”

Encore

· “Under African Skies” **

· “Colliding”

+ Featuring Andre Manga on bass.

*Led Zepplin cover

** Paul Simon cover featuring Andre Manga on bass.

You can still have a chance to see The String Cheese Incident perform this year on the following dates (additional dates to be announced, i.e. Hulaween):

MAR 06, 2025

Aspen, CO

Belly Up

Two Nights with The String Cheese Incident: Live at the Tabernacle