Photo by Jesse Faatz

Billy Strings closed out his Colorado run on Saturday night. Following a double feature at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., the bluegrass archetype made his way to Denver for a one-night stand at the Mission Ballroom. Strings delivered a covers heavy first set coupled with a second set that included a single mic encore.

Set one got underway with a segued pairing of 2021’s “Know It All” and a take on the traditional number, “Little Maggie.” Then the band unleashed eight consecutive covers; they began with The Dillards’ “There Is a Time,” followed by Jeff Austin’s “Run Down,” and continued with “Unwanted Love” by David Grisman. The latter bled into Muleskinner’s “New Camptown Races,” then they proceeded with a take on Jimmy Driftwood’s “Tennessee Stud.”

The first set of Strings’ Mission Ballroom stand continued with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys’ “My Sweet Blue-Eyed Boy” and 2017 original “All of Tomorrow,” off Turmoil & Tinfoil. Next, the band delivered Tony Rice’s “Tipper” ahead of set-closer, “So Many Miles.” 

The second set began with two songs off Strings’ 2019 LP Home; the band performed “Love Like Me” and “Highway Hypnosis” before playing a song off Turmoil & Tinfoil, “On the Line.” Next, they performed “Watch It Fall” before covering Sam Patterson Trio’s “Haul de Woodpile Down.” Next, Strings returned with his original “Hollow Hearts” before delivering another cover, a take on Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty.”

The latter half of the second set included “Doin’ Things Right,” which was proceeded by a cover of The Stanley Brothers’ “Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine.” Strings followed up with “Nothing’s Working” ahead of Bill Monroe’s “Shenandoah Breakdown.” A segued pairing of “Must Be Seven” and Hunter’s “Thunder” finished the second set. The band delivered a single mic rendition of The Chordettes’ “Born to Be With You” for their encore.

Strings will take a well-deserved month off the road before returning just in time for festival season. The bluegrass prodigy’s return will take place in Dayton, Ohio, on June 15 with a sold-out performance at the Rose Music Center at The Heights.

Billy Strings 
Mission Ballroom– Denver 
May 14, 2022

Set I: Know It All > Little Maggie, There Is a Time, Run Down, Unwanted Love > New Camptown Races, Tennessee Stud, Gold Rush > My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin’, All of Tomorrow, Tipper, So Many Miles

Set II: Love Like Me, Highway Hypnosis, On the Line, Watch It Fall, Haul de Woodpile Down, Hollow Heart, Running one Empty, Don’ Things Right, Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine, Nothing’s Working, Shenandoah Breakdown, Must Be Seven  > Thunder

Enc.: Born to Be With You