Bluegrass veterans dazzle

The Infamous Stringdusters took the stage Wednesday night for the first of two sets in the Newport Music Hall in a dramatic way.

It wasn’t just the darkened stage lit by spears of color spotlights aimed carelessly at the ceiling over the crowd. Nor the tune, a piece of musical advice called “You Can’t Stop the Changes,” mostly cast in a minor mode and led by Andy Hall’s winding blues licks on dobro.

The seasoned Virginia band created a mood from all the components, not to mention considerable instrumental chops, honed by two of the current members while students at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music.

The band won Best Bluegrass Album for “Laws Of Gravity,” at this year’s Grammy Awards.

It was that skill — and a creative impulse inspired by its jam-band inclinations — that allowed the group to range from traditionalsounding originals to unexpected covers in a performance that easily flowed from the first song to the last. From midtempo ballads to furious dance numbers, sometimes mashed together, the quintet expertly controlled the set’s energy.

The covers, including the Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’,” Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” and Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” fit the band and its set like a glove. Multi-part harmonies on those tunes fit as snuggly as they did in Bill Monroe’s classic “My Sweet BlueEyed Darlin’.” Hall, fiddler Jeremy Garrett, and guitarist Andy Falco contributed most of the vocals, with bassist Travis Book delivering a fine low tenor on “California” and banjo player Chris Pandolfi shining during his rare spotlight.

Though all but Book contributed fine solos, Hall’s dobro playing dazzled, at turns fevered, lowdown and bluesy, and swinging.