Trampled By Turtles Light Up Boston’s MGM Music Hall In Classic Bluegrass Style

On Wednesday, July 22nd, Trampled By Turtles brought their 2026 tour to MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, MA, with support from Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners. This was show #7 of 35 on their current tour. 

Trampled By Turtles is an American bluegrass-influenced folk band from Duluth, Minnesota. Of their ten album releases, three reached #1 on the U.S Billboard bluegrass chart. Their fifth studio release, “Palomino,” also stayed in the chart’s top 10 for 52 weeks straight. 

If you’re a long-time fan or just seeing Trampled By Turtles for the first time, their set at MGM Music Hall at Fenway was electric and had something for everyone. They played some of their biggest live staples like “Codeine,” “Whiskey,” and “Wait So Long,” along with a handful of deeper cuts.

Trampled By Turtles Start Strong

Instead of starting with an explosive opener, Trampled By Turtles eased into the audience with “Midnight on the Interstate.” This song has become one of their signature live tracks and set an immediate emotional tone that carried throughout the set.

They quickly shifted into high-gear with one of the group’s most-played songs: “Victory. This track pairs hopeful lyrics and infectious melodies that converge into an anthem of perseverance driven by classic bluegrass sound. This early crowd favorite got the audience immediately up and moving.

The set then transitioned into classics like “Cold Rain and Snow” (a traditional Appalachian folk standard), “Codeine” (one of Trampled By Turtles’ signature songs), and “Stranger,” which starts branching off from the band’s most recognizable songs. In a pleasant surprise, they also played a solo track called “Pisces, Queen of Hearts” by lead vocalist Dave Simonett, who also plays guitar and harmonica. The sound was powerful, emotional, and had the whole building swaying in harmony. It was truly a beautiful occasion to witness.

The rest of their show struck a nice balance between older and newer material spanning across nearly two decades of their music.

Capping Off The Night

The closing stretch of their set was awesome. They rocked the house with a mix of newer tracks like “Good Land” and “Good Dog, as well as several songs that longtime fans expect towards the end of their shows like “Alone,” “Truck,” and “Wild Animals.” 

Trampled By Turtles also concluded their set in a way not many fans would expect. While their most-played live song, “Wait So Long,” is usually a closing staple for the group, they instead ended with “Bloodshot Eyes” from their fifth studio release, “Palomino.” This gave the show more of an old-school bluegrass finish than the ceremonious sendoff most fans would expect. 

Overall, the show provided a great balance of the band’s greatest hits combined with songs that have become synonymous with the band’s reputation for live performances.

The next stop of their tour is on August 1st for Salmonfest in Ninilchik, Alaska.

Check Out The Full Setlist

1. Midnight on the Interstate
2. Victory
3. Cold Rain and Snow (Traditional Cover)
4. Codiene
5. Stranger
6. Pisces, Queen of Hearts (Dave Simonett song)
7. The Darkness and the Light
8. The Middle
9. It’s So Hard to Hold On
10. Annihilate
11. Repetition
12. Whiskey
13. Good LAnd
14. Good Dogs
15. Quitting Is Rough
16. Wait So Long
17. Wild Animals
18. Alone
19. Truck
20. Bloodshot Eyes

Photos by Brad Smith (@bradsmith.jpg on Instagram)

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