Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Sets Final Concert for June 18 in Denver After 60 Years

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is wrapping up six decades on the road with the final leg of All the Good Times: The Farewell Tour, culminating in a June 18 closing night at Mission Ballroom in Denver.

The spring leg opens April 9 at Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York, with stops across Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah. Special guests on select dates include Meels, Kathleen Edwards, Molly Tuttle, and Brit Taylor.

Frontman Jeff Hanna says the decision to step back from full-time touring is rooted in something simple. "Not that we hate it," Hanna shared. "We love our tour buses, and we love touring. But we've gotten to the point where we really need some time with our families. And we want to sort of enjoy some of what's left ahead of us, you know."

"Jimmie (Fadden) and I and Bob (Carpenter) are all in our… Well, I guess you could probably officially call it our late 70s now," Hanna continued. "And it's not about not loving what we do. Because we really are so grateful that we've gotten to do this for six decades."

Hanna says the band isn't disappearing entirely. "We're gonna try to create opportunities that you'll still be able to see the band," he said. "Maybe doing a residency here or there, or the odd festival or one-off this and that. But just not the full-time job part of what it has been."

Fans attending the final run can expect some surprises in the set list. "There's a few tunes that we're gonna dust off on this final run that we haven't played in a few years. I won't tell you what they are," Hanna said.

A highlight of the spring leg is a May 13 appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, marking 60 years to the day since the band's first professional paid gig. "The audiences have always been great for us," Hanna said. "They've been particularly gracious on this Farewell Tour."

Founded in Long Beach, California, in 1966 by Hanna and Fadden, the band evolved from jug band and folk roots into one of country music's most enduring acts. Milestones include the 1972 landmark collaboration Will the Circle Be Unbroken and the 1984 No. 1 country single "Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper's Dream)."