Punch Brothers perform a unique show at Vilar Performing Arts Center

 Above: The Punch Brothers perform at the Vilar on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 in Beaver Creek, CO

This week, progressive bluegrass group The Punch Brothers performed a unique show at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, CO. The Brothers performed their new album, The Unsong Adventures of the Punch Brothers in it's enteritiy, with not many vocals throughout the interesting set.

"People have many different conversations all the time," Proclaimed banjo player Noam Pikenney, "so we decided to do an entire album without any vocals or conversations..." The show was just that, with many of the members performing their own solos. While there were some songs that did have vocals, most of it was instrumental only, and the Vilar proved to be an excellent place for that kind of scene with it's superb sound and 550 seat capicity venue.

The sound is so good at the Vilar that you could hear someone's cup fall to the floor in the back of the room. As the announcer at the begining of the show for the Vilar said, The Punch Brothers, each one of the musicians in the group are impressive musicians, but together they are more than great.

One of the highlights of the show was mandolin player and lead performer Chris Thile, who did a number of solos throughout the night. The other members of the band also were good in their own ways, including banjo player Noam Pikenney who provided some comical releif in the beginning of the set, violen/fiddle player Brittany Haas, acoustic guitarist Chris Eldridge and bassist Paul Kowart.

However, the show wasn't perfect. While it was unique because the Punch Brothers did play their new isntrumental album in it's entireity, they didn't play any of their hit singles or popular songs except perhaps "Rye" towards the end of the set list. For those hoping for "Church Street Blues or some of their other hits, you just need to catch them again at another time! 

Overall, the show was good with incredible sound which went well with the Punch Brother's isntrumental style of bluegrass, but perhaps the group could have played some more crowd favorites. The Punch Brothers perform an incredible bluegrass cover of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald we would love to hear someday live!

B+

Photos by Jessica Lewis coming soon

Setlist for Punch Brothers on Tuesday, October 13 at the Vilar:

1) Woods>New Bike

2) Another

3) Prologue

4) Peril

5) Frozen Frog

6) This Girl

7) Peril

8) Kelpie

9) Plan

10) UFO

11) Imerial March

12) Familiarity

13) My Oh My

14) Porthole

15) Peril

16) Descend

17) Rye

18) Julep

19) New Book

Encore:

Woods>All Ashore