Photo Credit: Emily Butler
Billy Strings has completed the first three-night block of concerts in a series total of six locationally specific gigs at ExploreAsheville.com Arena in Asheville, N.C. The initial night on stage, Feb. 6, found the bluegrass favorite nodding to performances past, specifically his 2022 Halloween Lord of the Rings-themed run, by teasing in the “Fellowship of the Ring.” The evening initiated a motif of bust-outs and first-time plays, which persisted throughout the weekend.
Night two, Feb. 7, brought a similar mix of covers and originals, beginning with Strings-penned “Bronzeback,” which rolled seamlessly into a take on the first-time cover of The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys’ “I Hear a Choo Choo Coming.” Strings brought out his “Bride” Preston-Thompson D-SBA Custom guitar for the ensemble’s take on Pink Floyd’s “Fearless” and their own “Home” before dusting off a cover of “Dig a Little Deeper in the Well” for the first time this calendar year.
Friday’s initial frame brought solo Strings to the center of the stage. Seated on a stool, he unleashed stripped-down takes on the original “Catch and Release,” followed by a trio of covers: Jamey Johnson dropped “Lonely At The Top,” Delmore Brothers’ “Brown’s Ferry Blues,” and a fitting placement, the traditional “Groundhog.”
Jumping from Renewal to Home, Strings sequenced “Running the Route” into “Running” for a motion-heavy offering that preluded the first “All of Tomorrow” since April 19, 2024, before the epic crash of the Robert Hunter scribed “Thunder” took the night into set break. Upon their return to the stage, Strings and his band [sans fiddler Alex Hargreaves] for a single mic delivery of “Richard Petty.” Hargreaves joined the others for their follow-up, “Standing in The Need of Prayer,” and remained in position through “Uncle Pen.”
The remainder of set two was a relatively standard affair for Strings and company, who nodded to their heroes via covers: Townes Van Zandt (“Don’t Let the Sunshine Fool You”), Leftover Salmon (“Down in the Hollow”), Bela Fleck (“Slipstream”), Jimi Hendrix (“Love or Confusion”), John Hartford (“With a Vamp in the Middle”) and Bill Monroe on “Southern Flavor.” The night’s encore consisted of “Be Your Man” and Reno and Smiley’s fitting finisher, “I’m Gone, Long Gone.”
Like many of Strings’ runs, the musician and his band built momentum during the nights lead up to Saturday’s finale [for this specific run], which set the group up for special moments produced during Feb. 8’s first set. Such as, the Walker sang “Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine,” which sandwiched “Fire Line” and “Reuben’s Train” between a four-song single mic take on the original “Freedom,” Ralph Stanley-associated “Katy Daley” and “Harbor of Love,” ahead of set one closer, Monroe’s “My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling.”
Saturday’s second set found Strings’ on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo and Failing on guitar for Highway Prayers’ feature, “Leadfoot.” The final chapter of Strings’ initial run in Asheville brought forth a series of high-powered covers; Doc Watson released “Ready For The Times to Get Better,” performed for the first time in nearly a year, and set two’s centerpiece: The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” last played on Feb. 28, 2020, effectively ending a 406 show performance. Watch below.
The pair of covers denoted hope for Asheville after the city faced catastrophic flooding and widespread damage as a result of September 2024’s Hurricane Helene.
Larry Sparks’ “These Old Blues” was positioned ahead of “Leaders,” which flowed into the first “Lumpy, Beanpole & Dirt” of the year. Strings cracked into “Wargasm” before unleashing an opulent homage to Bob Dylan on “Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” paired with the Jeff Austin-inspired “Pretty Daughter.”
For their encore, Strings and friends worked through a fitting nod to the winter weather on “Footprints in the Snow” before “Roll on Buddy, Roll On” marked the completion of their first Asheville stand. Next, Strings will return to the ExploreAsheville.com Arena on Feb. 14 through 16 for his next series of live performances, which are sold out.
For those unable to attend in person, livestream Billy Strings’ Winter Tour on nugs.net.
Scroll down for videos, setlists and more.
Billy Strings
ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, N.C.
Feb. 7, 2025
Set I: Bronzeback > I Hear a Choo Choo Coming1, Fearless2, Home2, Dig A Little Deeper In The Well3, Catch and Release4, Lonely At The Top4, Brown’s Ferry Blues4, Groundhog4, Running The Route > Running, All Of Tomorrow5, Thunder
Set II: Richard Petty6, Standing In The Need Of Prayer7, Uncle Pen7, Nothing’s Working, John Deere Tractor, Away From The Mire, Long Forgotten Dream, Don’t Let the Sunshine Fool Ya, Down In The Hollow, Highway Hypnosis, Slipstream, Enough To Leave, Love Or Confusion8
With A Vamp In The Middle > Southern Flavor
Enc.: Be Your Man, I’m Gone, Long Gone9
Notes:
- FTP – The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys
- Billy Strings on his “Bride” Preston-Thompson D-SBA Custom guitar
- Last Time Played 2024-03-01 | 55 Shows
- Billy Strings solo on a stool, front of stage
- Last Time Played 2024-04-19 | 50 Shows
- Full band, minus Alex, around single mic, front of stage
- Full band around single mic, front of stage
- Last Time Played 2023-10-06 | 89 Shows
- Last Time Played 2023-12-31 | 62 Shows
Billy Strings
ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, N.C.
Feb. 8, 2025
Set I: Leaning on a Travelin’ Song, Tipper, There Is A Time, Seney Stretch, Cold Cold World, Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine1 2, Fire Line, Reuben’s Train, Freedom3, Katy Daley3, Harbor of Love3, My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling3
Set II: Leadfoot4, Freeborn Man, Ready For The Times To Get Better5, California Sober, Run Down, It Ain’t Before, Here Comes The Sun6, These Old Blues, Leaders, Lumpy, Beanpole, & Dirt, Wargasm, Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)7, Pretty Daughter
Enc.: Footprints In The Snow8, Roll On Buddy, Roll On
Notes:
- Jarrod Walker on lead vocals
- Last Time Played 2024-04-12 | 54 Shows
- Band around single mic (w/ instruments), front of stage
- Billy on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar
- Last Time Played 2024-02-24 | 58 Shows
- Last Time Played 2020-02-28 | 406 Shows
- Last Time Played 2023-12-13 | 68 Shows
- Last Time Played 2020-02-08 | 412 Shows
Setlists via billybase.net.
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