Dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien just kicked off the 36th annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival with a playful and varied set.

Starting out the first couple of tunes on the banjo, Mr. O’Brien switched to guitar for “If I Can’t Live Without Her, Why Am I Not Dead?,” then later to fiddle for the gospel inflected “Holy Ghost Building.”

The pairing of acoustic instruments that sparkled, in my opinion, came when Tim picked up the mandolin for two tunes, most notably, Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.”

This year marks Jerry Douglas’ 25th Telluride Bluegrass Festival. He and Tim O’Brien started it off in fine form.