Reunion and Revival: Old Crow Medicine Show Rekindles Early Magic in Asheville
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
Ketch Secor and Willie Watson Share The Limelight at The Orange Peel
Story and Photos by Casey Nicholson.
Old Crow Medicine Show’s Big Iron World Tour crossed over into Homecoming territory in Asheville this past Sunday, as the legendary old-time string band returned to familiar ground for a show at the Orange Peel. The run of shows features original OCMS band member Willie Watson performing with the group for the first time since 2011. The Asheville stop comes halfway through a run of ten dates, just after dates in Boone and Knoxville.
Revisiting Big Iron World
Anticipation was building in the near-capacity crowd as Old Crow Medicine Show took the stage for their 8:00 p.m. start time. The show began with a rendition of a traditional fiddle tune, Hangman’s Reel, before then launching into the group’s second studio album Big Iron World straight through. This saw Watson taking lead vocals first for the evening, offering up his rendition of the lead-off track, “Down Home Girl”, a bluesy, dobro-driven track that feels right at home in the region where the band first built its following—including early stops at The Down Home in Johnson City.
Ketch Secor, who has served as band leader for the group throughout its numerous iterations, took lead vocals on “Cocaine Habit”, one of two songs in the band’s repertoire that is borrowed from the same traditional framework. When Big Iron World was released in 2006, Cocaine Habit was the group’s attempt to keep the fun of “Tell It To Me” going. The latter had been the lead-off track for their 2004 debut, O.C.M.S., and the two songs follow the same structure.
The show saw a wide assortment of solos, with each of the band’s seven members taking turns in the spotlight as the Big Iron World tunes unfolded. Ketch Secor shined on fiddle during the upbeat “Union Maid”, and played harmonica for numerous tunes throughout the set. Mandolin player Chance McCoy and banjo player Cory Younts both took turns on vocals. Morgan Jahnig held down the beat on the doghouse bass throughout the night.
Watson shined once again when the group played what Secor referred to as “that weird song” toward the end of the album, “Don’t Ride That Horse”. The tune is the group’s most experimental number on Big Iron World, featuring an arrangement that feels inspired by something off a Neil Young album.
Back to the Early Days
After a brief intermission, the group came back to now work its way through its first studio album, O.C.M.S. The mood slowed a bit on tunes like the Vietnam War reflection “Big Time In The Jungle”, and the somber “Poor Man”, before then springing back to life on “Hard To Love”.
Secor and Watson regaled the crowd with stories of the band’s early days in and around Western North Carolina, with Secor sharing stories of working at the Tweetsie Railroad amusement park in Blowing Rock, and venues that the group had played in Asheville in the early 2000s. Watson shared the story of the band’s chance meeting with Doc Watson while busking in downtown Boone, North Carolina—a meeting that played a role in their rise to prominence.
A High Energy Performance
Two moments stood out as the group made its way through the night. First was the upbeat “Hard To Tell”, a driven fiddle tune that breaks up the more reflective tone of much of the O.C.M.S. material. The performance of this song was augmented by a change in lighting, with spotlights going dim and the backdrop shifting to a psychedelic wash as Secor and Watson took turns on fiddle and guitar runs, respectively. The mood felt like a jam band set for a moment, pushing the song into a loose, raucous groove that enthralled the crowd.
Of course, the highlight of the show came when the band made their way to the last song from O.C.M.S. “Wagon Wheel” is the song that put Old Crow Medicine Show on the map in 2004, when Ketch Secor famously reworked fragments from a little-known Bob Dylan chorus, adding the song’s storyline of a hitchhiker’s journey from New England to Raleigh, and sharing a moment on the voyage with a truck driver who is bound for Johnson City, Tennessee. The song quickly became a known Appalachian anthem upon release, with Darius Rucker adapting it into a hit on the country charts a decade later. The Orange Peel’s audience turned into a church choir as the crowd sang the song in unison with Secor and Watson, rocking to the gentle fiddle and the plucking banjo that the song is so known for.
All told, this was a very strong performance featuring a return to the principal vocals that caused us to fall in love with Old Crow Medicine Show twenty years ago. Secor and Watson blended seamlessly, never missing a beat as they made their way through their early catalog. The crowd was fully on board by the time the band returned for an encore featuring “Swannanoa Tunnel,” a fitting nod to the region. We left happy to have been in attendance, and yes—happy we had grabbed dinner at Pack’s Tavern before the two-and-a-half-hour set.
We’re already looking forward to the next time Old Crow rolls through these hills.
Further Reading
Learn more about Old Crow Medicine Show, their history, and current tour dates.
Explore the solo work of Willie Watson, whose return has helped shape the Reunion Tour.
Visit The Orange Peel, one of Asheville’s most iconic live music venues.
Discover the legacy of Doc Watson, whose influence looms large over Appalachian music and Old Crow’s early story.
View the full setlist from Old Crow Medicine Show's March 22, 2026 Asheville, North Carolina performance.
Check out Pack's Tavern, a great restaurant and pub in downtown Asheville.
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