Billy Strings and his band brought their fall tour to a close Saturday at Upstate Medical Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial in Syracuse, NY.
The band’s final show before its upcoming New Year’s Eve run in New Orleans was full of surprises and special treats. Getting right down to business with a pairing of “Home” and Chris Henry‘s “West Dakota Rose”, Strings and his posse comprised of Billy Failing (banjo), Royal Masat (bass), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle) tore through a first set spanning from old to new with traditionals like “Raleigh and Spencer”, covers including The Dillards‘ “Ernest T. Grass” and Leon Rusk‘s “Air Mail Special on the Fly”, and Strings’ new still-fresh original “Escanaba”.
Billy Strings – “Home”, “West Dakota Rose” (Chris Henry) – 12/16/23
More highlights arrived in the second set, including a tribute to Led Zeppelin, who played the venue in 1969 and 1971. First, during “Doin’ Things Right”, the band jammed on the riff from “Moby Dick”—a surprising choice for a string band considering it is known for its extended drum solo—and then came a cover of “Four Sticks”, last played by the group during its visit to Red Rocks in May.
The set concluded with a stark-raving cover of Eddie Noack‘s “Psycho” and the sublime sound of “Thunder”, a song Billy composed with lyrics by Robert Hunter. To cap off the night, the band looked ahead to their much-deserved holiday break with Bill Monroe’s “Christmas Time’s A-Coming”, followed by “Tennessee”, combined with the “Home” opener, nicely bookended the show with a nod to Strings’ adopted hometown.
Click below to view fan-shot videos from Billy Strings at Upstate Medical Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial in Syracuse, NY. The band is off until December 29th, when they will reconvene for a three night run at New Orleans’ UNO Lakefront Arena to close out 2023, with additional winter tour dates in February and March. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Strings’ website.
Billy Strings – “Four Sticks” (Led Zeppelin) – 12/16/23
[Video: matthew wallace]
Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | Upstate Medical Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial | Syracuse, NY | 12/16/23
Set 1: Home, West Dakota Rose (Chris Henry), Cabin Song, Down Yonder (Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers), Fire Line, Raleigh and Spencer ([traditional]), Ernest T. Grass (The Dillards), Air Mail Special on the Fly (Leon Rusk), Be Your Man, Escanaba, Away From the Mire
Set 2: Know It All, Shady Grove ([traditional]), Along the Road (Dan Fogelberg), I’ll Be Gone a Long Time, Just Because (Nelstone’s Hawaiians) [1], Long Forgotten Dream, Blue Mule (Muleskinner) [2], Doin’ Things Right [3], Four Sticks (Led Zeppelin), Libby Phillips Rag, A Robin Built a Nest on Daddy’s Grave (Ralph Stanley), Psycho (Eddie Noack), Thunder (Robert Hunter)
Encore: Christmas Time’s A-Coming (Bill Monroe) [4], Tennessee (Jimmy Martin)
Notes:
1 Last Played 2022-04-21 | 182 show gap
2 “Blaze On” chant (Phish)
3 “Moby Dick” jam (Led Zeppelin)
4 Last Played 2022-12-11 | 102 show gap