The Strumbellas turn The Wilbur into a full-blown hootenanny on night one of tour
Opening nights on tour can sometimes feel cautious. Bands easing into a rhythm. Testing lighting cues. Feeling out the setlist.
You wouldn’t have known February 18 at The Wilbur was night one of The Strumbellas’ Into Dust tour.
By the time the band hit the stage, the historic Boston theater was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, impressive for a cold Wednesday night in Boston. What followed was less a concert and more a communal stomp-and-clap revival, the kind of full-room hootenanny The Strumbellas have quietly perfected over the last decade.
A Warm and Rooted Start
The night opened with Sam Burchfield, a country songwriter from South Carolina who delivered a stripped-down but rich set alongside a single bandmate. The two traded textures all evening, cycling between guitar, banjo, and melodica. Burchfield’s voice carries a lived-in warmth that felt organic in The Wilbur’s wood-paneled room, setting an easygoing tone before the chaos arrived.
Fresh Energy From a Familiar Sound
The Strumbellas have been around long enough that their blend of folk-pop bombast could easily feel tethered to a specific early-2010s moment. On record, the stomp-clap sheen might spark nostalgia. Live, it feels fresh and energetic.
From the jump, frontman Jimmy Chauveau owned the stage with a kind of chaotic charisma that’s impossible to fake. He danced and belted with no restraint, pulling the crowd into every chorus. The energy never felt forced, rather, it felt contagious.
Original members David Ritter on piano and Isabel Ritchie on fiddle grounded Chauveau’s momentum. Ritter’s piano lines gave the songs lift, while Ritchie’s fiddle gave their music that iconic sound.
Burning Bridges, Building Momentum
The set leaned heavily on material from their latest EP, Burning Bridges Into Dust, the project that anchors this new tour run. The newer songs fit comfortably alongside their older catalog, showing that the band understands how to evolve without losing track of its core sound.
They also carved out space for a particularly energetic cover of “Band on the Run” by Wings, filling it with the same foot-stomping fun that defines their originals.
Midway through the show, the energy dipped into something more intimate. The band cleared the stage, leaving Ritter and Chauveau alone for a handful of acoustic tunes.
“Usually I go backstage too,” Ritter joked, “But I’m going to stay out here tonight and wonder what they’re doing backstage and what snacks they’re eating.”
The line got big laughs from the crowd, cutting through the tenderness with humor before the band returned to full volume.
The Songs That Stick
While the new material carried weight, it was the older cuts that ignited the deepest singalongs. “Shovels & Dirt” hit especially hard, with the entire room shouting, “Well it ain’t worth living if you don’t get hurt,” like they were at church.
And of course, the night closed with “Spirits,” the band’s breakout anthem that refuses to age. The opening notes were enough to send a visible ripple through the crowd. What followed was pure catharsis. Every voice in The Wilbur seemed to shout along at once, filling the room in a way that felt larger than the venue itself.
Night One, Nowhere Near Rusty
For a first show of a tour, there was no sense of hesitation. No tentative pacing. If anything, the band played like they’d already been on the road for weeks, locked in and loose.
The Strumbellas may have emerged during a specific era of indie-folk radio dominance, but they’ve proven something important: songs built on communal energy don’t expire when trends shift.
And if night one is any indication, the Into Dust tour is already in full swing.
