Photo by Jesse Faatz

Last night, Billy Strings performed his second evening at the Joun Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va., following an appearance at Nashville, Tenn.’s Grand Ole Opry for a tribute concert celebrating the life of the late beloved American actor, comedian, writer, and singer Leslie Jordan. Strings’ stint in Atlantic City, N.J., prior to his appearance in Music City, saw the bluegrass star feeling under the weather, and he made sure his return to his winter tour in Virginia was full of vigor as he ferociously moved through originals, covers, a traditional and the live debut of Doc Watson’s “Alberta.”

Strings warmed up the crowd by dishing out a trio of originals in the form of “Red Daisy,” “Wargasm,” and “Fire Line.” He then leaned into his jamming improvisational inclinations with a run of “Thirst Mutilator” > “Hollow Heart,” which was rounded out with the first cover of the evening, “Brain Damage” by Pink Floyd. After “Watch It Fall,” he continued with covers of Jonathan Edwards and The Seldom Scene’s “How Long Have I Been Waiting for You” and The Osborne Brothers’ “Ruby Are You Mad.” He then tapped one of his greatest influences Doc Watson for “Alberta,” marking the first time Strings and his crew have played the song live. The frame was closed with “Long Forgotten Dream,” followed by a jam of Bill Emerson’s “Home of the Red Fox” into Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs’ 1967 track “Bringin’ in the Georgia Mail.”

The second set started off with distinct renditions of Strings originals, all apt to set ignite via fretboard fireworks. After songs like “Hide and Seek” and “This Old World,” Strings and company ripped into “Along the Road” by Dan Fogelberg. Other highlights from the second set included a run comprised of “While I’m Waiting Here” into “pyramid Country” into “Must Be Seven,” a cover of Johnny Horton’s “Ole Slew-Foot,” the traditional “Red Rocking Chair,” and a set/show-closing performance of Jimmy Martin’s “Tennessee.”

Strings will return to Nashville for a performance at the Bridgestone Arena tomorrow night.

Billy Strings
John Paul Jones Arena – Charlottesville, Va.
Feb. 22, 2023

Set I: Red Daisy, Wargasm, Fire Line, Thirst Mutilator > Hollow Heart > Brain Damage (Pink Floyd cover), Watch It Fall, How Long Have I Been Waiting for You (Jonathan Edwards and The Seldom Scene cover), Ruby Are You Mad (The Osborne Brothers cover), Alberta (Doc Watson cover) (Live debut by Billy Strings), Long Forgotten Dream, Home of the Red Fox (Bill Emerson cover) > Bringin’ in the Georgia Mail (Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs cover)

Set II: Know It All, Hide and Seek, This Old World, Heartbeat of America, Along the Road (Dan Fogelberg cover), I’ll Be Gone a Long Time, While I’m Waiting Here > Pyramid Country > Must Be Seven, Ole Slew-Foot (Johnny Horton cover), Love Like Me, Crown of Thorns (Mother Love Bone cover), Red Rocking Chair ([traditional] cover), Tennessee (Jimmy Martin cover)