Over the weekend, Billy Strings performed two shows at the Portsmouth Pavilion in Portsmouth, VA. On opening night Strings and his band added two songs to their repertoire. First up was the traditional “Ducks on the Millpond” early in the first set. Later on, at the close of the night, the group delivered a sweet goodbye via Jimmy Martin’s “The Last Song.” Other first set highlights included a 23-minute version of the quintet’s original “Hide and Seek” which is about the longest version of the song yet performed. The extended “Heartbeat of America. which opened the second frame was another crowd favorite. Also of note was the run from Strings’ “Malfunction Junction” into Billy Nershi’s “Black Clouds” which nearly hit the 22-minute mark.

Saturday’s show, included a few tunes in the second set that the band hadn’t performed for a little while. Before getting there, the two songs that bookended the first set, “Slow Train” and “Little Maggie” were spirited takes. The “Doin’ Things Right,” “Southern Flavor,” “Cabin Song” combo also elicited a strong response. In the second set, the band pulled out three songs that hadn’t appeared in at least 50 shows: “Salty Sheep” (9/14/25), “Life To Go” (5/21/24) and “Close By” (8/12/25). Once again, the opening and final songs were notable versions as the band drove into “Love and Regret,” then later “Highway Hypnosis.”

Billy Strings is at Boston’s Agganis Arena tonight for the first of two shows.