In its 36 years the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has seen some remarkable performances but David Byrne's tour de force to close the first night was nothing short of extraordinary. Tune into this blog tomorrow for an in-depth review of Byrne's two-hour set. Photo by Hans Lehndorff.

The "program" for the 5th Telluride Bluegrass and Country Festival was one page folded over. This year's festival guide is 50 glossy color pages. I look at the lineup and think of those who have passed since then: John Hartford, Charles Sawtelle (of Hot Rize), Courtney Johnson (of New Grass Revival), and Vassar Clements. The set I remember the best was Hartford's rousing show backed by New Grass.

Emmylou Harris with Three Girls and Their Buddy perform Thursday night. She dedicated a song to her daughters and granddaughter. Photo by Robert Nathan.

The first festival I covered for the Camera was in 1980. The review appeared July 4.

3:30 Thursday, Telluride: I first covered the festival for the Camera in 1980 apparently. Here’s an excerpt from the review published July 4, 1980:

“Onstage (David) Grisman tells the crowd: “It’s all bluegrass to me” and then proceeds to play a lovely version of a John Coltrane piece.”

Dobro master Jerry Douglas plays with the Zac Brown Band Thursday at Telluride's Town Park. Photo by Hans Lehndorff.

1:45 p.m. Thursday, Town Park, Telluride: The festival commenced with a sterling set by Douglas and O’Brien on Dobro and mandolin/fiddle/guitar/bouzouki watched by numerous pickers including Chris Thile. Douglas noted: Nowhere else can you see something like this (scenery) and hear music like this.” They play a country weeper: “If I Can’t Live Without You (How come I Ain’t dead), the gospel “Working on a Building,” and a blistering reinvention of Jimi’s “Hey Joe.”   The Lovell Sisters followed with classic girl harmonies and some exceptional picking, bluegrass-style. Onstage now as I sit in the press tent is Zac Brown – definitely country rock with a goofy twang and a very appealing sound. Meanwhile, the backstage parking lot because David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) arrived with two buses and a semi for a much anticipated closing set tonight. Elvis Costello is wandering amiably backstage with a cup of coffee. The sustainable coffee stirers are pieces of pasta. I think it’s linguini. More to come….