Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Brings “American Dream” To Bemidji

It was a packed house in the Bemidji High School auditorium as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band took center stage.

Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band says, “We are really happy to be in Bemidji. Again, coming back to Bemidji, it’s a beautiful town and being here this time of year is awesome. We got to walk around the lake a little bit today, very cool.”

“We had our dose of wild rice so we’re good,” adds Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jimmie Fadden.

The band has been together for 52 years, and tonight, fans got a special treat with a few new members added to the line-up.

“This summer, we’re having a great time. We’ve got a few new guys in the band. My son Jaime Hanna and a buddy of ours, Ross Holmes, who’s a great fiddler and mandolin player, and that’s opened up some real great opportunities for us musically,” says Hanna.

There were more than a few pairs of cowboy boots in the crowd. Fans of the group say they were just excited to hear some of their favorite songs played live on stage.

“It’s a band we’ve listened to for a long time. Love their music. Great sound! They were actually, I think, a little ahead of their time but they endure and that’s the name of the game in this business,” says Stan Wielinski, a fan of the band.

Karla Kannas, another fan says, “As a family, listening to the older country music: “Mr. Bojangles,” “An American Dream,” “Fishin’ In The Dark.” It was just a staple in our household was country music so I’m excited to see them again and I want to share that with my daughter, Katie.”

Tonight’s show also doubled as a fundraiser for Lakeland PBS, which the band says they were more than happy to help out with.

“We love PBS, I just want to tell you that. We were really excited when they picked up our special “Circlin’ Back” live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville that we did a little while back, and it’s been a great opportunity for us to sort of give back to PBS.”

The next Lakeland PBS concert will be Celtic Thunder X on October 16^th. To learn more about the show, click here.