On Friday, May 7, Bill Kreutzmann celebrated his birthday by airing the first of three performances from Kauai, Hawai’i, dubbed ‘Grateful Mahalo.’ For the show, Kreutzmann was joined by his Billy and The Kids bandmates Tom Hamilton, Reed Mathis and Aron Magner, plus special guests – dubbed “honorary Kids” – Billy Strings (donning an Gibson Les Paul instead of his typical acoustic for the occasion) and James Casey.

The pre-taped show began with “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo,” followed by “Deal.” Hamilton sang lead on the first two numbers, before Strings took over for “Jack-a-Roe.” All the while, the two guitarists were trading lead responsibilities. After “Crazy Fingers,” the band dropped into Phish’s “Back on the Train,” sung by Billy Strings (who has performed a cover of the song before). The set ended with “Let It Grow,” sung by Magner.

Set two kicked off with “Help on the Way,” which led to a massive, improvisatory sequence in which the band moved from “Slipknot!” into “Deep Elem Blues,” which then emerged into a “Let It Grow” jam. The group eased back into “Slipknot!” only to pivot and drop into a “Dark Star” jam. After a “Wharf Rat” to cool down, the evening closed with a pairing of “Truckin'” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”

The ‘Grateful Mahalo’ run continues tonight, May 8. For tickets, head to FANS.live. Earlier this week, it was announced that Carlos Santana will be appearing in some capacity during the run. Check out the full setlist from night one below.

Billy & The Kids (w/ Billy Strings and James Casey)
May 7, 2021
Kauai, Hawai’i
Set I: Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo @, Deal @, Jack-a-Roe #, Crazy Fingers @ > Back on the Train # > Let It Grow %

Set II: Help on the Way @ > Slipknot > Deep Elem Blues # > Let It Grow (Jam) > Slipknot > Dark Star (Jam) > Wharf Rat # Truckin’ $ > Dear Mr. Fantasy #

@ Tom Hamilton on Lead Vocals
# Billy Strings on Lead Vocals
% Aron Magner on Lead Vocals
$ Reed Mathis on Lead Vocals