Photo by Jesse Faatz, via Billy Strings’ Facebook page.

This past weekend, on Sept. 11-13, Billy Strings kicked off his ‘Meet Me At The Drive-In’ tour with three shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena Drive-In in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. During the run, Strings and his band delivered debut performances of Tom Petty’s “Time to Move On,” David Grisman’s “16/16” and Bill Monroe’s “Close By,” as well as covering the Grateful Dead, Phish and The Monkees.

The first night began with an instrumental performance of “Amazing Grace,” followed by perhaps Strings’ best known song, “Dust In A Baggie.” The second set kicked off with “Home of the Red Fox,” which saw the band tease “Scarlet Begonias” and drop into a “Mind Left Body Jam.” Later in the set, the band delivered their first ever performance of Tom Petty’s “Time To Move On.” The set closed with “Turmoil & Tinfoil.” At the end of the second set, the crowd began honking, the drive-in version of cheering for an encore. Strings returned for a final song, “How Mountain Girls Can Love.”

Sept. 12’s show began with “Taking Water,” folllowed by “Tipper.” Later in the set, the band performed the Grateful Dead’s “Rosa Lee McFall,” before a pairing of “Ralph’s Banjo Special” > “Little Maggie.” The set concluded with “All Fall Down.” During the second set, Strings broke out a new song, debuting David Grisman’s “16/16.” Later, the band performed “Doin’ Things Right,” with lyrics changed to reference wearing masks. The encore for the show was a double shot: “Am I Born to Die” and “Roll On Buddy, Roll On.”

Finally, on Sept. 13, Strings and his band began the night with a scorching four-song sequence of “I’m Still Here” > The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville” > “Thirst Mutilator” > Phish’s “Back On The Train.” Later in the set, the band debuted their performance of Bill Monroe’s “Close By.” The second set was highlighted by a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Wharf Rat.”

Billy Strings’ ‘Meet Me At The Drive-In’ tour continues with two nights at the McHenry Outdoor Theater in McHenry, Ill. on Sept. 16 and 17. Check out the setlists from this weekend below!

Billy Strings
Sept. 11, 2020
Mohegan Sun Arena Drive-In, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Set I: Amazing Grace*, Dust in a Baggie, Doin’ My Time, Likes of Me > Pyramid Country > Ol’ Slewfoot, Love Like Me, Tennessee Stud, Nobody’s Love is Like Mine, Long Forgotten Dream, Away From the Mire

Set II: Home of the Red Fox^ > Must Be 7, Train, Train, Time to Move On$, Slow Train, All Time Low, Ten Degrees & Getting Colder > Turmoil & Tinfoil

Enc: How Mountain Girls Can Love
* Instrumental
^ MLB Jam and Scarlet Begonias tease
$ debut, Tom Petty

Billy Strings
Sept. 12, 2020
Mohegan Sun Arena Drive-In, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Set I: Taking Water, Tipper, Rundown, Señor (Tales of Yankee Power), Highway Hypnosis, While I’m Waiting Here, Rosa Lee McFall, Ralph’s Banjo Special > Little Maggie, All Fall Down

Set II: Running, So Many Miles, Hollow Heart, There is a Time, Pretty Daughter, 16/16*, Red Rocking Chair, Doin’ Things Right^, Everything’s the Same, Meet Me at the Creek

E: Am I Born to Die, Roll On Buddy, Roll On
* debut, David Grisman
^ lyrics changed to reference wearing masks

Billy Strings
Sept. 13, 2020
Mohegan Sun Arena Drive-In, Wilkes-Barre, PA
Set I: I’m Still Here > Last Train to Clarksville > Thirst Mutilator > Back on the Train, Dusty Miller, I Haven’t Seen Mary in Years, Close By*, Rawhide, Enough to Leave, Black Clouds

Set II: Dos Banjos, On the Line > Train 45, Gold Rush, Watch It Fall, I’ll Remember You Love In My Prayers, Home, Dealing Despair, Wharf Rat, 15 Steps > Ride Me High

E: Y’all Come
* debut, Bill Monroe