Photo: Stevo Rood
On Friday and Saturday nights, Billy Strings performed at The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Ala. The concerts came after the band turned in their first night of songs in Rocket City, which brought back particular compositions that had otherwise been collecting dust, lying in wait for their Thursday night return. Similarly, the ensemble revived more tunes during their weekend activities, while also drawing on classic bluegrass tropes such as rail travel, love and loss, and the spectrum of feelings associated with rural life.
The group’s Friday night return to The Orion Amphitheater stage stirred up covers beginning with the roving traditional, “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town,” which merged into the Doc Watson-released “Black Mountain Rag,” a feature of the frontman’s 2016 self-titled EP. The latter effectively kicked off a series of originals, “Taking Water,” “Reuben’s Train,” which were played without pause. After turning in “10,000 Miles From a Friend,” the band delivered “A Robin Built a Nest On Daddy’s Grave.”
After “Away From the Mire,” Strings brought out his Martin Grand J-28E, while Billy Failing used the Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone banjo on “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You.” They tacked on Highway Prayer‘s sister song “In the Clear,” which bled into Monroe’s “Ashland Breakdown.” “Be Your Man” and “Home” took the group into the set break. The frontman returned to the stage alone, lifting “Country Blues” on the clawhammer banjo, which, after applause, saw an ensuing run through “Giving the Fiddler a Dram,” “Whistling Rufus,” “Ragtime Annie,” and “Catch and Release.”
Failing, Jarrod Walker and Alex Hargreaves joined Strings for the remainder of the set, which included the first cover of John Hartford’s “Steam Powered Aereo Plane” since Dec. 30, 2024, ending a 74-show gap. The song was sung by Failing, and seemed to nod to the region’s own aviation industry.
Night three started on a similar note to two, with songs about travel and trains, beginning with “Leaning on a Travel Song.” In time, they struck up their own “On the Line,” which bumped into “Train 45” and The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen released “Ruby.” Rarity “Crown of Thorns,” a Mother Love Bone cover that entered the group’s songbook in 2019, and has only been played 23 times since its debut, represented a return, last performed on August 24, 2024, ending a 94-show gap.
Like the night prior, Strings took the stage alone during the onset of the second half, performing “Nashville Blues” before the instrumental splendor that is “Dos Banjos,” a back and forth between the bandleader and Failing. The latter half of Saturday’s gig brought out Strings’ sticky, green-tinged co-write with Willie Nelson, “California Sober,” followed by Johnny Winters’ “Ain’t Nothing to Me.” “Doin’ Things Right” leaked into “Cabin Song,” before Bob Dylan’s “Tangled Up in Blues” revived the audience. The highly regarded cover was paired with another lauded borrow, Hartford’s “All Fall Down.”
The final song of the main frame was a fitting finish, “The Beginning of the End.” For their final Huntsville encore, Strings used the Masterton ML-1, while Failing played guitar on “Leadfoot.” For their last song on the Orion Amphitheater stage during this visit, the ensemble turned in the Jimmy Martin released “Tennessee.”
After the band’s latest multi-night run, they will rest in preparation for Friday, October 31’s festivities at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Md. Tickets remain on sale.
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Billy Strings
The Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, Ala.
Oct. 24, 2025
Set I: The Train That Carried My Girl From Town > Black Mountain Rag, Taking Water > Reuben’s Train, 10,000 Miles From A Friend, A Robin Built A Nest On Daddy’s Grave, Away From The Mire, Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You1, In the Clear > Ashland Breakdown, Be Your Man, Home
Set II: Country Blues2, Give The Fiddler A Dram3 > Whistling Rufus3 > Ragtime Annie3 > Catch and Release3, Malfunction Junction > The Fire On My Tongue, Gild the Lily, Steam Powered Aereo Plane4,5, Dust In A Baggiem, Love Like Me, I’m One Of Those, Turmoil & Tinfoil, Sophronie
Enc.: 15 Steps, My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling
Notes:
- Billy Strings on a Martin Grand J-28E, Royal Masat on a Nord Stage 3 88-Key Keyboard & Billy Failing on Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo
- Billy Strings solo on clawhammer banjo
- Billy Strings solo
- Billy Failing on lead vocals
- Last Time Played 2024-12-30 | 74 show gap
Billy Strings
The Orion Amphitheater – Huntsville, Ala.
Oct. 25, 2025
Set I: Leaning on a Travelin’ Song, Sally Johnson, Fire Line > End Of The Rainbow, Show Me The Door, This Old World, Escanaba, On The Line > Train 45 > Ruby, Crown Of Thorns1 > Wargasm, Big Spike Hammer
Set II: Nashville Blues2, Dos Banjos3, Red Daisy, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, California Sober, Ain’t Nothing To Me, Doin’ Things Right > Cabin Song, Tangled Up In Blue > All Fall Down The, Beginning of the End
Enc.: Leadfoot5, Tennessee
Notes:
- Last Time Played 2024-08-24 | 94 show gap
- Billy Strings solo
- Dos Billys (Billy Strings on clawhammer banjo and Billy Failing on banjo)
- “This Heart Of Mine” fake-out intro
- Billy Strings on his Masterton ML-1: Missing Link Béla Fleck Baritone Banjo & Billy Failing on Guitar
Setlists and notes via billybase.net
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