JACKSON, Wyo. — When contemplating modern American roots music and it’s current revival, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are folk stars. The magical duo has established a cornerstone of primitive, timeless and authentic Americana that is deeply moving. In terms of their far-reaching influence on contemporary roots musician-songwriters, the Welch-Rawlings blend of Appalachian, old-time, roots country and bluegrass is arguably the most respected and most revered. The 2025 Folk Album of the Year Grammy winners will headline The Center Benefit Concert, outside in The Center Park, this Saturday.
This writer had the good fortune to experience Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ current tour, last November in Kentucky. It was powerfully endearing. The simplicity and richness of these two humans making music together is spellbinding. They utilized the small theater to their advantage, performing with no stage monitors and little amplification, while achieving the richness and depth that a large orchestra is known to deliver. The outside stage this Saturday will be a different sonic palette, perhaps a challenging one, and for sure benefitting from the audience’s engagement and attentiveness.
“Playing folk music, you can’t overpower the audience, they have to come to us,” Welch recently told Wyoming Public Media’s (WPM) Grady Kirkpatrick during a phone interview from the road.
The duo collected the first of two Grammy Awards with 2021’s All the Good Times. Fans often note 2001’s Time (The Revelator), 2003’s Soul Journey, and 2011’s The Harrow & The Harvest as front-to-back listening experiences within their distinct catalog of albums. Throughout their recording career, the duo has stayed rather true to their primitive sound, for good reasons.
“What we were interested in, musically, was space and these finer points of duet singing and the two guitars,” Welch further explained to WPM. “We found playing with other people, sometimes what we were playing would be covered up or obscured. We were also really interested in our particular sense of time and rhythm, and thought that was really important part of the emotion that we were trying to get across. Part of the message is how we feel. Time is really important part of that.”
Held outdoors in The Center Park with local food trucks, activities for kids, and participation from The Center’s Resident Nonprofits, The Center Benefit is the only annual community fundraising event to support operations for Center for the Arts. This event is crucial to The Center’s ability to provide a home for the arts to twenty local arts and education nonprofits.
“We work hard year-round to bring excellent events to Jackson through ‘The Center Presents’ series and to raise funds to maintain a vibrant campus for the arts in downtown Jackson,” said Center for the Arts’ Development Director Hannah Cooley. “The Center Benefit brings supporters of the arts together for an outdoor celebration through which supporters can help contribute to keeping the arts thriving in Jackson. Like all events at The Center, ticket sales alone do not cover our costs, and we rely on donations from our community to make this event a success.”
Four different acts will play ahead of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, 5-8 p.m. in the Center Amphitheater. Former Jackson-based singer-songwriter, Abby Webster, is a notable addition to the bill. After moving to Livingston, Montana, she substantially grew her following and now tours both with a full band and solo shows. She released an LP, Livin’ by the Water, in 2024 alongside several singles throughout the last few years.
The Center Benefit Concert featuring Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, 5 p.m. Saturday June 28 in The Center Park Main Stage at Jackson Hole Center for the Arts. $76. Additional acts on the Center Amphitheater stage include KHOL DJ set (5-6 p.m.), JH Jazz Foundation (5:45-6:45 p.m.), and Abby Webster (7-7:45 p.m.). MusicLand String Trio will play 6:45-7 p.m. by the Finders Keepers Sculpture.
