When you think of attending a folk music show, you may envision coffee shops, maybe your local drinking establishment, or other small venues. Acoustic sets, simple arrangements, and a homey atmosphere all go hand-in-hand to create the folk music experience so many of us have shared. But last Friday, the performance by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings flipped that stereotype upside down-- and that's thanks to the Stiefel Theatre in Salina, Kansas.
When was the last time a red-vested usher walked you to your seat at a folk concert? Such was my experience as I first walked in: greeted by security, then ticket-takers, and finally kind ushers who led me to my seat. Constructed in 1931, the theater’s architecture reflects the times in which it was built: Art Deco flourishes with Spanish Colonial influences (evident in the red-tile roof). Its remodeled interior features restored, ornate plaster work, enameled tiles, and soaring ceilings.
For all its glory, the Stiefel provided a setting that honored, not overshadowed, its guest performers. Welch and Rawlings stood side by side on a sparse stage, the center of the universe for the thousand fans in attendance.
Folk icons Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are no strangers to grand theaters and adoring fans. Their first release, Revival, came out 30 years ago. Since then, they’ve recorded eight other albums together under her name. The Harrow and the Harvest, released in 2006, garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album, as well as Best Engineered Album. They won a Grammy for Best Folk Album with their 2020 release, All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone). In 2025, they again won Best Folk Album for Woodland, their most recent release. You may also recognize Welch from her work on the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack with the beloved “I’ll Fly Away,” featuring Alison Krauss. Welch and Rawlings have also collaborated on three albums under Rawlings’s monikers (i.e., David Rawlings & Dave Rawlings Machine). Impressively, the two have toured continuously throughout their decades-long career.
Their performance at the Stiefel garnered a packed house. The duo kept the audience guessing, moving through old favorites such as “Wayside/Back in Time” and “Ruby,” with songs from Woodland mixed in between. They ended the first set with a last-minute addition to the song list, put in by Rawlings to the surprise of Welch. As the opening sequence to “Wichita” began, the crowd erupted in cheers. The exuberance ot hearing “a Kansas song” could be attributed to our shared pride of place, or it might be indicative of who was in the audience. Personally, I traveled three hours to be there; my guess is others put in similar time on the road, from Wichita or beyond.
Throughout the two-and-a-half-hour show, we watched Welch and Rawlings share smiles with each other, playfully engage the audience, and clearly enjoy themselves. It was as if we were watching the queen and king of folk music in their element; earnest, authentic and delighted to share their talents with us. When Gillian broke out the soft-shoe dancing during “Six White Horses,” it was all the audience could do to stay seated in our auditorium chairs.
As the show came to an end, the crowd erupted; and after momentarily stepping offstage, they quickly returned for an encore. After a few rowdy songs, they again thanked the crowd and disappeared. Once more, the crowd cheered, and once more they reappeared for another set of some of their most beloved songs. This time, we all sang along, filling the theater with a palpable sense of joy. Their final song was “I’ll Fly Away”, from the iconic O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. For a short time, we were all elevated, energy high and flying together. In the intimate-yet-grand theater, we celebrated the music of the everyman, guided by two performers at the top of their careers.
