After delivering the keynote speech at the International Bluegrass Music Association‘s 2025 World of Bluegrass Convention and then concluding a trio tour with fellow flatpicker Bryan Sutton and bassist Royal Masat on Tuesday at The Signal in Chattanooga, TN, Billy Strings returned to the venue on Wednesday night with his full band plus Mountain Grass Unit guitarist Luke Black, who sat in on a string of tunes to help close out the two-set show.
Billy Strings IBMA Keynote Speech
[Video: TyJern1]
Following the run of stripped-down trio shows, the energy was especially high as Strings and Masat reunited with their bandmates Billy Failing (banjo), Jarrod Walker (mandolin), and newly-crowned Americana Honors Instrumentalist Of The Year Alex Hargreaves (fiddle) and kicked things off with a set of psychedelic jam-infused fan favorites. “Seven Weeks in County”, “The Fire On My Tongue”, “John Deere Tractor”, and “Must Be Seven” all appeared in the first set alongside deeper cuts including the first “Rock Salt & Nails” since November 2023 in Amsterdam.
Sticking to the format of the trio tour, Strings started set two with solo versions of “Catch and Release”—his folk-country ballad about getting pulled over by Officer Looper the Tennessee State Trooper with Leftover Salmon‘s Vince Herman on their way to go fishing—and “Lonely At The Top”, before welcoming Jarrod Walker to join him for a duet on the traditional “Feast Here Tonight (Rabbit In A Log)”. The evening culminated after an adventurous “Highway Hypnosis”, as Luke Black joined the band on stage to help finish the set, sitting in on “Hello, City Limits”, “Big Mon”, “Sitting On Top Of The World”, “Turmoil & Tinfoil”, and “How Mountain Girls Can Love”.
Strings’ appreciation for Black and Mountain Grass Unit stretches back several years to when he stumbled on them playing in a parking lot after one of his shows—and couldn’t resist joining in for a few tunes. The MGU boys then performed at Billy’s Renewal festival last year and even sat in with his band after he left to be by his wife’s side for the birth of their son. Recently, Strings commented on a video of Black, joking that it was “kinda rude of him to be this good honestly.” Wednesday’s onstage collaboration adds a new chapter to their ongoing musical saga while elevating Black to a tier shared by bluegrass legends Béla Fleck and Sam Bush, who each sat in with Strings and Sutton at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium earlier this week.
Billy Strings With Luke Black – “How Mountain Girls Can Love” – 9/17/25
[Video: cannibalsong]
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Next up, Strings is set to perform at Farm Aid 40 alongside Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, and Margo Price this Saturday, September 20th before heading back to Europe in October. He’ll return stateside for a run of U.S. fall dates, kicking off with three nights in Huntsville, AL and another two-night Halloween run in Baltimore. He also just announced his first batch of 2026 tour dates. Find a full list of upcoming tour dates on his website and head here for tickets.
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Setlist [via BillyBase]: Billy Strings | The Signal | Chattanooga, TN | 9/17/25
Set 1: These Old Blues [1], Seven Weeks in County, Ernest T. Grass > The Fire On My Tongue, Rock Salt & Nails [2], Seney Stretch, Slow Train, John Deere Tractor, Hide and Seek, Must Be Seven > My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling
Set 2: Catch and Release [3], Lonely At The Top [3], Feast Here Tonight (Rabbit In A Log) [4], Fire Line > Taking Water, Bronzeback, Be Your Man [5], In the Clear, Sally Johnson, Wait a Minute, My Alice, Highway Hypnosis, Hello, City Limits [6], Big Mon [6,7] > Sitting On Top Of The World [6,8], Turmoil & Tinfoil [6], How Mountain Girls Can Love [6]
[1] Last Time Played 2025-02-08 | 58 show gap
[2] Last Time Played 2023-11-07 | 140 show gap
[3] Billy Strings solo
[4] Duet w/ Billy Strings & Jarrod Waker
[5] “Charge” (Tommy Walker) intro
[6] w/ Luke Black (Mountain Grass Unit) on guitar
[7] Last Time Played 2025-02-16 | 55 show gap
[8] Last Time Played 2023-04-13 | 203 show gap