Above: Danielle Nicole with Brandon Miller performs at 2026 Greeley Blues Jam on Saturday, June 6
This past weekend, Greeley Blues Jam returned for it's 22nd year in Greeley, CO at Island Grove State Park. Despite brutally hot weather Saturday afternoon (98 degrees F!), it did end up cooling down with some cloud coverage and wind. The Danielle Nicole Band performed an impressive set before headliner Robert Randolph, showing everyone that she was by far the best performer at this year's Blues Jam.
This was Danielle Nicole's 4th or 5th time playing Greeley Blues Jam, and she is no stranger to the festival. Wearing purple shorts, the younger blues singer with her band graced the main stage at around 6PM. Unlike the other opening acts for the day, Nicole's set actually had just as long as time as headliner Robert Randolph, performing around 1 hour and 30 minutes, which is impressive for any co-headliner.
She easily grew the largest crowd of the day in front of the somewhat small main stage. What stands out the most about bassist and guitar player Danielle Nicole is that she has incredible vocals, and they are some of the best in the blues industry today. Her singing matches her guitar and bass playing perfectly, and it proves a great rhythm throughout her set. Another highlight of the group is Danielle's husband, Brandon Miller, who is a superb guitar player and helps carry out the band. There is some great chemistry between Danielle and Brandon on stage. However, it's a no brainer that Danielle is indeed the driving force and star woman of the band, as Brandon does not speak too much during their performance.
There were some diehard Danielle Nicole fans who have seen her more than 20 times in the audience, and all four times she performed at Greeley Blues Jam. This was our first time attending the festival and seeing her live, and it was a great introduction. Danielle happily dedicated one of her singles she performed 'Pusher Man' for our photographer, Mark Matheson, who she said 'has been up front dancing at every one of our shows for a very long time." Thanks Danielle!
Other performers that day included a great introduction set by The Blues Beatles that everyone was talking about along with a very hot afternoon set by Tommy Castro & The Pain Killers. However, although he was great live with his slide guitar, Robert Randolph & The Family Band weren't as impressive as Danielle Nicole. Robert performs his usual style set every time he plays live, and doesn't seem to change it, but it was great to see Danielle joining him on stage for 'Foxy Lady'. Robert also never performs his biggest hit single, 'Ain't Nothing Wrong With That', which is what headliner bands should do, especially at festivals. There was also a nice VIP section with chairs and shaded areas, however, the sound wasn't too good in the indoor AC part of the festival where the side stage was. Overall, despite the heat, the sound was great at the main stage and it was a good smaller festival to attend to.
Below: Danielle performs 'Foxy Lady' with Robert Randolph at 2026 Blues Jam, video by Leo Pareti
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All photos by Mark Matheson:
Danielle Nicole Band:
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