It is not often that my birthday falls on a day that I am traveling to do an assignment for Concerthopper. For that matter, it has been a while since I attended a show that falls on my birthday. That was until this year. On February 18th, Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country announced their 2025 Summer Tour, which started on June 18th in Telluride, CO. The date for Atlanta (July 10th) at the Tabernacle immediately caught my eye. It sounded like a great way to spend my birthday. And what better place to spend it than The Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta, Georgia? I’ve said it before, and I will say it again… Atlanta loves their bluegrass/Americana music. There is always continuous support from the surrounding bluegrass/Americana community, plus you always see familiar faces who travel into the Atlanta area from all over.

A few years have passed since I last witnessed Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, or Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country performing live. The anticipation was intense leading up to this night, especially knowing that just down the road, Beyoncé was taking the Cowboy Carter Tour to Atlanta for the first of four nights at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Once we arrived and parked at The Tabernacle, I was pleased to see a line of concert hoppers waiting to get into the venue when the doors opened. What makes this tour so unique is that the order in which the bands would perform is a surprise at each tour stop.

Yonder Mountain String Band

Daniel Donato, born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Daniel has played guitar since he was 12 years old, and by age 14, Daniel was in Nashville trying to get a feel for the music scene. With his band Cosmic Country, Daniel has released three (3) LPs and one (1) EP since his debut EP, Starlight, in 2019. According to Donato in an interview with www.newjerseystage.com in 2024, Donato stated a follow-up to Reflector (2023) would be worked on in the studio in 2025, so I am hoping to hear some new songs on this tour {fingers crossed}. The band Cosmic Country currently consists of Daniel Donato (guitar/vocals), Will “Mustang” McGee (bass/vocals), Nathan “Sugarleg” Aronowitz (keyboards, guitar/vocals), and Will “Bronco” Clark (drums/vocals).

I first had the honor of photographing Daniel when Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country played a hometown event (which incidentally was the last year of Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que) in 2022, and I knew at that time I would witness this incredible band again someday down the road. Daniel was quoted as saying, “I saw Sturgill Simpson at the Ryman on Halloween 2015… Sturgill blew my mind… That’s when I set my sights on being a storyteller at the center of the stage.” If you know me at all, Daniel had my full attention at the first mention of Sturgill Simpson.

Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country came on stage at The Tabernacle to the rip roar of the faithful fans that showed up early for the festivities. I was very pleased with the opening song chosen by Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, “Workin’ Man Blues”, a marvelous cover song from the famous Okie from Muskogee, Merle Haggard. In addition, the fans were given another surprise when Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country debuted “Lay Low Lucy” in Atlanta. One thing I have always loved seeing from a band/artist is smiling on stage when they are performing. When Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country performs, it is all smiles from the band members as they seamlessly go through their impeccable set. If you missed this tour stop at The Tabernacle, do not fret because Daniel Donato is coming back to play at the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta on October 4th. Follow this link for tickets today!

Check out Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country’s setlist from their opening performance at The Tabernacle:

· “Workin’ Man Blues” (Merle Haggard cover)

· “Lay Low Lucy” > (Live debut)

· “Darlin’ Cory” (traditional cover)

· “Translation”

· “Broadside Ballad” >

· “Hangman’s Reel” (traditional cover)

· “Luck of the Draw” >

· “Sugar Leg Rag”

You can follow Daniel Donato and stream some amazing performances from previous concerts (including this evening) over at Cosmic Country: Daniel Donato, Co. (Bandcamp page).

Railroad Earth is a folk rock/progressive bluegrass/Americana/jam band from Stillwater, New Jersey, that formed in 2001. Currently, the band consists of Todd Sheaffer (guitar/harmonica/vocals), Tim Carbone (violin/accordion/electric guitar/vocals), Carey Harmon (drums/hand percussion/vocals), John Skehan (mandolin/bouzouki/piano/banjo/vocals), and Dave Speranza (acoustic bass/electric bass/vocals). While on tour, Mike Robinson (acoustic guitar/steel pedal/banjo) and Matthew Slocum (keyboards) join in on the fun with the band. Railroad Earth has released nine (9) LPs, one (1) EP, and one (1) live album since the release of their debut album, The Black Bear Sessions, in 2001.

Railroad Earth

Railroad Earth took the stage to the delight of the fans, which included a lot of devoted Railroad Earth fans who were riding the rail and who were very excited to sing along with the band’s set. Railroad Earth began their night with a brilliant rendition of a Tim O’Brien and Darnell Scott cover, “Walk Beside Me”. Railroad Earth even debuted a new song from their upcoming tenth (10th) album, All For The Song, “The Great Divide”. From the crowd’s reaction after the song, I think it is safe to say their fans are excited for the new album from Railroad Earth. You can stream or download the new album here. Or buy a physical copy of the new album from Railroad Earth here. It is always great catching Railroad Earth on tour, and tonight was no exception.

You can view Railroad Earth’s setlist from their 7/10/2025 performance at The Tabernacle:

· “Walk Beside Me” (Tim O’Brien & Darnell Scott cover)

· “Like a Buddha”

· “The Hunting Song”

· “The Great Divide”

· “It’s So Good”

· “Bird in a House”

· “Long Way to Go”

Yonder Mountain String Band is a progressive bluegrass band (also described as jamgrass) from Nederland, Colorado, that started in 1998 when Dave Johnston and Jeff Austin (1998-2014 mandolin/vocals) met in Urbana, Illinois. The band now consists of Ben Kaufmann (bass/vocals), Coleman Smith (fiddle), Dave Johnston (banjo/vocals), Adam Aijala (guitar/vocals), and Nick Piccininni (multi-instrumentalist/vocals). According to Discogs.com, YMSB has released ten (10) LPs, ten (10) live albums, two (2) EPs, and has been featured in one (1) compilation. This would be my fourth time seeing Yonder Mountain String Band perform, and I feel that each time their performance gets better and better.

Yonder Mountain String Band

It was now time for Yonder Mountain String Band to come out on stage and throw down some heady bluegrass jams for the elated crowd of fans cheering on the band. Keeping with the theme for the night, Yonder Mountain String Band started their set off with an outstanding cover of “No Expectations” by The Rolling Stones from their 1968 album Beggars Banquet. It was great to hear a few new songs off their latest release, Nowhere Next (2024): “Crusin’”, “The Truth Fits”, “Nowhere Next”, and my favorite, “Leave the Midwest”. As I surveyed the crowd during their set, I saw so many happy faces singing along with Yonder Mountain String Band as they flawlessly went through their set.

To make this night even more special, during the encore, Yonder Mountain String Band brought out fellow tour mates Daniel Donato, John Skehan, Mike Robinson, and Jason Carte to assist with an inspiring performance of The Allman Brothers Band classic song, “The Whipping Post”. After they flawlessly performed “The Whipping Post”, Yonder Mountain String Band also welcomed Carey Harmon and Michel Bellar on stage to help perform the final two songs of the evening which included a lovely cover of Jerry Garcia’s, “They Love Each Other”.

You can see Yonder Mountain String Band’s setlist from their headlining performance at The Tabernacle on 07/10/2025 below:

· “No Expectations” (The Rolling Stones cover)

· “Casualty”

· “Crusin’”

· “Pig’s Foot”

· “The Truth Fits”

· “Leave the Midwest”

· “Half Moon Rising”

· “Snow on the Pines”

· “Nowhere Next”

· “Snow on the Pines” (Reprise)

Encore:

· Whipping Post (The Allman Brothers Band cover)

· “Criminal”

· “They Love Each Other” (Jerry Garcia cover)

You can check out my previous review of Relix Presents: Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Keller Williams & The Keels Live at The Eastern (2023) by following this link to Concerthopper today! You can also check out the previous review from 2022, when both Yonder Mountain String Band and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country performed together at Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que in Grovetown, Georgia.

There are still some dates left to see Yonder Mountain String Band’s 2025 Summer Tour with Railroad Earth and Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country on tour, plus other announced tour dates in 2025 from Yonder Mountain String Band:

2025 Summer Tour- East Coast Edition: Yonder Mountain String Band, Daniel Donato, & Railroad Earth Live at The Tabernacle!