Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci
After two days on the rocks, Billy Strings and his band made their way to Denver for a one-night stand at The Mission Ballroom. The Saturday night production represented the ensemble’s final show in The Centennial State as a part of their spring tour and arrived following a pair of concerts in Morrison, Colo., on May 11 and 12. The weekend gathering brought forth a debut cover of the Billy Bolick-penned “I’m Troubled,” followed by a bust out of the traditional tune “The Cuckoo.”
Strings’ first set commenced with a run-through of “Fire Line,” which bled into “Reuben’s Train.” The musicians segued “Thirst Mutilator” next, slowly stepping into the number. Then, they melded the aforementioned song into the John Hartford original “Steam Powered Aereo Plane,” with Billy Failing adding lead vocals to the tune. In continuation of the night, the group paired “Love & Regret” with another Hartford original, a take on “With A Vamp In The Middle.”
The initial frame presented the audience with “Libby Phillip Rag” before the night’s debut of “I’m Troubled,” led by Alex Hargreaves. Next, they rolled out a cover of Mel Tillis’ “Walk On Boy,” followed by “Hollow Heart,” paired with Hartford’s “I’m Still Here,” which included a tease of The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.” Then, “So Many Miles” saw some notes of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” before they concluded the night’s first set on “Dealing Despair.”
After a break from the stage, the performers returned and cut into the second half of the concert with a bust out of “The Cuckoo,” last played by this band on Nov. 1, 2019. Originals followed and flowed into a take on Jerry Reed’s “The Likes of Me” and Willie Nelson’s “Hands on the Wheel.” “Nothing’s Working” came before the traditional “John Hardy,” followed by “Wargarm” into The David Grisman Quartet’s “E.M.D.” Finally, “Love Like Me” was capped with the Bill Browning and His Echo Valley Boys original, “Dark Hollow.”
String’s final Colorado stand presented “Long Forgotten Dream” before closing the main set with Hartford’s “All Fall Down.” For the evenings encore, the group of musicians delivered the Jimmy Martin-written “Sophronie.” Following this weekend’s fun, Strings will pick up sold-out appearances in Phoenix and Los Angeles later in the week. View the musician’s schedule here.
Scroll down to view the setlist from Saturday’s show.
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Billy Strings
The Mission Ballroom – Denver
May 13, 2023
Set I: Fire Line > Reuben’s Train > Thirst Mutilator > Steam Powered Aereo Plane@, Love & Regret > With A Vamp In The Middle, Libby Phillip Rag, I’m Troubled+#, Walk On Boy, Hollow Heart > I’m Still Here > So Many Miles > Dealing Despair
Set II: The Cuckoo&, Awning, While I’m Waiting Here, Likes Of Me, Hand On The Wheel, Nothing’s Working, John Hardy, Wargasm > E.M.D., Love Like Me, Dark Hollow, Long Forgotten Dream, All Fall Down
Enc.: Sophronie
Notes:
@ Billy Failing lead vocals
# Alex Hargreaves lead vocals
+ First time played
& Bust out, last time played: Nov. 1, 2019
Setlist via billybase.net.
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