Photo Credit: Stevo Rood/ Dino Perrucci

On Saturday, Oct. 19, Billy String kept busy ahead of his final stand at the Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Ala., making a surprise appearance at the WhistleStop BBQ Festival, where friends and jamgrass greats, Leftover Salmon were in attendance for their prescheduled stage time. Continuing the synergetic charge, Strings welcomed LS to join during his final stand, night two, at the 8,000-capacity outdoor venue.

Saturday’s WhistleStop schedule began with frames from 5ive O’Clock Charlie, J & the Causewats, in addition to local stalwarts Element XI, who warmed up the audience with separately billed frames leading to Leftover Salmon’s spot, 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Strings arrival coincided with the delivery of “New Country Blues,” a tune culled from the Emmitt-Nershi Band (featuring LS’s Drew Emmitt and Andy Thorn with The String Cheese Incident’s Bill Nershi). Watch a fan-shot video below. 

Later that night, Strings took the stage for night two at the Orion Amphitheater, warming up the audience with an initial walk through 12 songs, leaning into original material while also saving room for The Osborne Brothers’ “Ruby Are You Mad” and traditional “Reuben’s Train.” Returning from the evening’s set break, Strings started solo, offering a trio of traditionals that preluded “Catch & Release,” a number written to commemorate a fishing excursion with Vince Herman.

The tune seemed to summon Strings’ guest, who turned up alongside Emmit and Thorn and stuck around for the ensuing seven numbers, beginning with Salmon’s own “Down in the Hallow.” They picked up classics The Dillards’ “There is a Time,” The Stanley Brothers’ “Clinch Mountain Backstep,” Blaze Foley’s “Cold, Cold World,” which sandwiched The High Hawks’ “Shine Your Blues,” led by Herman, and served as a Strings debut. 

Returning to revered picks, the amalgamated ensemble of bluegrass elites played through Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freight Liner Blues” before concluding their sit-in after The Delmore Brothers’ “Blues Stay Away From Me.” Returning to form, sans guests, Strings took out his Martin 12-String HD12-28, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard, and Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone banjo during “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You.”

A mixture of originals and borrowed tunes entered the concert orbit, taking the setlist to 30 songs after the final delivery, “Richard Petty” performed around a single mic. After this weekend’s offerings, Strings will return to his daddy duties ahead of his Halloween Spectacular. Read more.

Billy Strings

The Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, Ala.

Oct. 19, 2024

Set I: Running, Taking Water > Ice Bridges, Everything’s The Same, Hellbender, Malfunction Junction, Be Your Man, On The Line > Train 45 (Traditional) > Ruby (Cousin Emmy), Fire Line > Reuben’s Train (Traditional), Home [1]

Set II: Give The Fiddler A Dram (Traditional) [2] > Whistling Rufus (Kerry Mills) [2] > Ragtime Annie (Traditional) [2], Catch and Release [2], Down In The Hollow (Leftover Salmon) [3] [4], There Is A Time (The Dillards) [3], Clinch Mountain Backstep (The Stanley Brothers) [3] [5], Cold Cold World (Blaze Foley) [3], Shine Your Blues (The High Hawks) [3] [6] [7], White Freightliner Blues (Townes Van Zandt) [3], Blues Stay Away From Me (Delmore Brothers) [3], Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You [8], Hollow Heart, Wargasm, The Two Soldiers (Traditional), Highway Hypnosis, The Beginning of the End, Richard Petty [9]

Notes:

[1] Billy Strings on his “Bride” Preston-Thompson D-SBA Custom guitar
[2] Billy Strings solo front of stage
[3] w/ Vince Herman (guitar), Andy Thorn (banjo) and Drew Emmitt (mandolin) of Leftover Salmon
[4] Drew Emmitt on lead vocals
[5] Last Time Played 2023-11-17 | 57 Shows
[6] Vince Herman on lead vocals
[7] FTP – High Hawks (Off Recent 2024 Release “Mother Nature’s Show”)
[8] Billy Strings on a Martin 12-String HD12-28, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard & Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo
[9] Band (minus Alex) around single mic front of stage

Setlist via billybase.net.