I’m With Her at The Kauffman Center for the Arts, Kansas City MO (17 June 2025)
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I’M WITH HER SETLIST
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MASON VIA SETLIST
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I’M WITH HER TOUR DATES
Jun 20 Sheridan Opera House Telluride, CO
Jul 10 Interlochen Center Interlochen, MI*
Jul 11 Taft Theatre Cincinnati, OH*
Jul 12 Asheville Yards Amphitheater Asheville, NC*
Jul 13 Koka Booth Amphitheatre Cary, NC*
Jul 15 Wolf Trap Vienna, VA*
Jul 16 The Levitt Pavilion Westport, CT
Jul 18 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival Oak Hill, NY
Jul 19 Thompson’s Point Portland, ME*
Jul 20 The Green at Shelburne Museum Burlington, VT*
Jul 21 The Pines Theater at Look Park Northampton, MA*
Jul 23 Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Richmond, VA*
Jul 24 Keswick Theatre Glenside, PA*
Jul 25 Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards LaFayette, NY*
Jul 26 Newport Folk Festival Newport, RI
Sep 25 Tower Theatre Oklahoma City, OK
Sep 26 Majestic Theatre Dallas, TX
Sep 27 The Paramount Theatre Austin, TX
Sep 29 Lensic Performing Arts Center Santa Fe, NM
Oct 1 Epstein Family Amphitheater San Diego, CA
Oct 2 The Ford Los Angeles, CA
Oct 3 Campbell Hall Santa Barbara, CA
Oct 6 Mondavi Center Davis, CA
Oct 8 The Moore Theatre Seattle, WA
Oct 9 Mount Baker Theatre Bellingham, WA
Oct 10 Revolution Hall Portland, OR
Oct 11 The Egyptian Theatre Boise, ID
Oct 13 Jackson Hole Center Jackson, WY
Oct 14 Harris Concert Hall Aspen, CO
Oct 15 Paramount Theatre Denver, CO
Nov 4 Asbury Hall at Babeville Buffalo, NY
Nov 5 Koerner Hall Toronto, ON
Nov 7 McCarter Theatre Center Princeton, NJ
Nov 8 Boch Center Shubert Theatre Boston, MA
Nov 9 Appell Center York, PA
Nov 11 Beacon Theatre New York, NY
Nov 12 Harvester Performance Center Rocky Mount, VA
Nov 14 Charleston Music Hall Charleston, SC
Nov 15 Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
Nov 16 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
While we don’t necessarily love the term itself, we do love a good “supergroup”-
Three female titans of folk and bluegrass are known as I’m With Her and have reconvened for the first time since 2018, to release a new album, Wild and Clear and Blue and supporting tour, and we were happy to catch them on a potentially wild, stormy, and gray weeknight at the wonderful Kauffman Center for the Arts in downtown Kansas City.
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The evening got underway with a well-received 35min. set from Nashville via Appalachia (sort of) newcomer, Mason Via, playing traditional Country / roots bluegrass selections from his two solo albums. We say sort of, because Via was formerly the youngest member of Old Crow Medicine Show and has been in KC previously as part of the huge Folk Alliance International annual conference and gathering.
It’s his sophomore album which is self-titled (released in April on Mountain Fever Records) with his debut called New Horizons, and he and his two sidemen (which became three when harmonica player Corey Flick emerged mid-set) charmed the audience with their affable, ‘aw shucks’ demeanor. They play steady songs, easy to clap along, or sing the chorus to, which is probably part in his genes, as Via’s father is a MerleFest award-winning bluegrass songwriter.
Via commented on the elegance of the venue (“something out of Star Wars”) and having some memorable burnt end barbecue following his opening, “Melt in the Sun” and followed that with a tune written by his father, who calls it his ‘island song’ waiting for someone to cash in with this ‘sure-fire hit’, so he can buy his own island. “Fireball” was dedicated to Via’s new wife, and the set closed with the joyous “Oh Lordy Me” sing-along, which sounded like a traditional gospel song, but is in fact, a Via original.
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We (and everyone else) are thrilled to see the return of folk supergroup I’m With Her, both with their sophomore album, Wild And Clear And Blue (out last month via Rounder Records) as well as the chance to see them on the road again. Their debut album, the Grammy Award-nominated See You Around, came out in 2018, and we caught the group live that year in St Paul, MN.
The trio of Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins finally had their own respective very busy schedules made free enough to make time for the new record (featuring lead single, “Ancient Light”) and an accompanying tour, some seven years after their first. Their 85 min. headlining set had just the trio with no backing band, and took selections from each release (playing all but one song from the new LP), with each of the women taking turns on lead vocals.
O’Donovan also spends time with string quartet Crooked Still, Watkins is a founding member of Nickel Creek, and Jarosz has made a name on her own; but when they do come together, their shared harmonies and on-stage synchronization, make it seem like the trio has played together regularly for years.
Harmonies were immediately apparent on the opening “Strawberry Moonrise” with the three positioned at center stage with additional instruments around them, and a graphic backdrop of hazy trees in an auburn forest, to add to the immersion.
‘See You Around’, the title track of the previous record, was the first older track played and the crowd’s response which grew as the set progressed, had the trio thinking they were playing on a weekend, not a weeknight. The trio made light of Via’s ability to teach a sing-along, so Watkins playfully attempted to do similar, using the complicated lyrics of “Overland”, which got a collective laugh.
O’ Donovan took lead for the gospel, “Lord Lead Me On”, known best as a 1958 Bill Monroe version, but a song that has its roots in the 30’s and 40’s, Watkins’ musical skills took the spotlight on “Sisters of the Nightwatch”, and the group answered maybe the most obvious question- if they are influenced by Joni Mitchell (duh) by playing a cover of her ”Carey”, from her classic 1971 Blue album.
A pre-show walk in the nearby Crossroads District found them taking pictures in front of an eagle mural, which was a perfect intro to their “Mother Eagle (Sing Me Alive)” and the main set would end with their “Year After Year” encouraging living proactively each day and lyrically asking, “If not now, then when?”
The encore began with “Rhododendron” that hard to pronounce, multi-syllable word referring to a beautiful type of flower that also can yield toxins, so is a symbol of caution and potential danger- an ideal allegory.
And the night would end on a modern folk/bluegrass classic, John Hiatt’s “Crossing Muddy Waters” from his 2000 Grammy-nominated album, recorded acoustically and without a drummer, making for a cover choice that worked very well for the trio and their harmonies.
The only downside of these three genre titans coming together as I’m With Her, is that Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins are successful enough on their own, that they can only get together every seven years. Assuming that, you should see them on this tour while you can or perhaps have to wait until 2032 for another scheduled opening.
(click on any image to enlarge and to see in full)
