Photo by Jesse Faatz via Billy Strings’ Facebook page


On March 19, 20 and 21, Billy Strings performed socially distanced shows at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, Fla. During the run, Strings and his band performed marquee originals such as “Dust in a Baggie,” “Turnmoil & Tinfoil” and “Meet Me at the Creek,” while also covering everyone from The Rolling Stones and Little Feat to The String Cheese Incident and Widespread Panic.

The first night’s opening set closed with a pairing of Little Feat’s “Willin'” and Strings’ own “Dust in a Baggie.” During the second frame, Strings covered Yonder Mountain String Band’s “Sorrow is a Highway,” as well as The Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.”

Night two kicked off with a pairing of “Long Forgotten Dream” and “Me and My Uncle.” Strings later covered Widespread Panic’s “All Time Low.” The band closed the set with a seamless run between “Fire on My Tongue,” “Clinch Mountain Backstep” (The Stanley Brothers) and “Ole Slew-Foot” (Johnny Horton). Set two saw Strings stick mostly to originals, opening with the fan-favorite “Turmoil & Tinfoil” and closing with “Hide & Seek.”

The final show of the run saw Strings cover the late Tony Rice’s “Tipper” during the first set, before closing with “Fire Line.” The second frame opened with The String Cheese Incident’s “Black Clouds” and closed with a sandwich segment of “Meet Me at the Creek” > “Ride Me High” (J.J. Cale) > “Meet Me at the Creek.”

Strings is gearing up for a trio of livestreamed shows on March 24, 25 and 26; the first two will take place at Tipitina’s in New Orleans, while the third will take place at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas. He also was recently announced as part of Bonnaroo’s Concerts on the Farm at the festival grounds in Manchester, Tenn.; he’ll kick off the series on May 28.

Check out the full setlist from all three nights below (via Setlist.fm).

Billy Strings
Mar. 19, 2021
St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL

Set I: Taking Water, Bronzeback > Must Be Seven, I’ll Remember You Love In My Prayers (Billy Hayes cover), On the Line, Sitting in Limbo (Jimmy Cliff cover), The Likes of Me (Jerry Reed cover), This Heart of Mine (New Grass Revival cover), Wargasm, Willin’ (Little Feat cover), Dust in a Baggie

Set II: Everything’s the Same, Sorrow is a Highway (Yonder Mountain String Band cover), Ernest T. Grass (The Dillards cover) > Little Maggie, John Deere Tractor (Larry Sparks cover), Highway Hypnosis, Secrets, Wild Horses (The Rolling Stones cover), Away From the Mire

Encore: Freedom

Billy Strings
Mar. 20, 2021
St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL

Set I: Long Forgotten Dream, Me and My Uncle (John Phillips cover), All Fall Down (John Hartford cover), Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine (The Stanley Brothers cover), All Time Low (Widespread Panic cover), Morning Light, Run Down (Jeff Austin cover), Fire On My Tongue > Clinch Mountain Backstep (The Stanley Brothers cover) > Ole Slew-Foot (Johnny Horton cover)

Set II: Turmoil & Tinfoil, Sweet Revenge (John Prine cover), Know It All, Watch It All, Running the Route > So Many Miles, Red Daisy, Hide & Seek

Encore: Shady Grove, Slow Train

Billy Strings
Mar. 21, 2021
St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, FL

Set I: Hollow Heart, While I’m Waiting Here > Pyramid Country > Ride Me High (J.J. Cale cover) > Pyramid Country > Ride Me High (J.J. Cale cover), Love Like Me, Running, Show Me the Door, Tipper (Tony Rice cover), Fire Line

Set II: Black Clouds (The String Cheese Incident cover), Leaders, This Old World, Ice Bridges, A Good Woman’s Love (Bill Monroe cover), Doin’ My Time (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs cover), Air Mail Special (Jim and Jesse cover), Meet Me at the Creek > Ride Me High (J.J. Cale cover) > Meet Me at the Creek

Encore: Hold the Woodpile Down (The Doc Watson Family cover)