After another jaunt overseas to Europe and the United Kingdom, Billy Strings is back on U.S. soil for the remainder of his fall tour. Billy Strings kicked off his final 17-show stretch of the year on Thursday with his first of three concerts at Huntsville, AL’s Orion Amphitheater, starting the run with a huge 27-minute pairing of “Psycho” > “Meet Me At The Creek”.
This weekend marks Strings, Billy Failing, Royal Masat, Jarrod Walker, and Alex Hargreaves‘ third annual trip to the stately Orion Amphitheater. Unlike in years past, however, Strings extended the typical two-night run to a three-show stay, paving the way for some elongated jams throughout the night, as the band still had the whole weekend ahead.
Coming out of the reflective “Must Be Seven” in the second set, Strings got in the Halloween spirit with an eerie cover of Leon Payne‘s cerebral thriller “Psycho”—a murder ballad double-whammy following Billy original “My Alice” in the first set. The jam that came out of “Psycho” remained grounded and, at times, understated, as Strings melded electric guitar-style bends and fills high up the neck with fluid and precise bluegrass flatpicking—all within the span of a few measures.
As the band transitioned to “Meet Me At The Creek”, those traditional roots gave way and the band used the jam vehicle to explore the outer edges of bluegrass. From one minute to the next, Walker was delivering rapid-fire chops up and down his mandolin, before Strings kicked on an ethereal filter and sent the jam into a Floyd-ian freefall (if Meddle had more fiddle). Miss a minute, miss a lot, and with a 21-minute “Meet Me At The Creek”, you may just want to see it for yourself. Coming out of the chaos, Strings brought it in for a smooth landing on Townes Van Zandt‘s radiant, “Don’t Let the Shunshine Fool Ya”.
Billy Strings — “Psycho” (Leon Payne) > “Meet Me At The Creek” — 10/23/25
[Video: Live Vibes]
Strings’ first U.S. show since Farm Aid 40 on September 20th also saw him dust off a few tunes, including “Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)” by fellow Farm Aid performer Bob Dylan, a cover not seen since March 1st, 2025 (59 show gap), per BillyBase. He also busted out a fitting nod to his Yellowhammer hosts with “Alabama Bound”, the first appearance of the Doc Watson-favored cover since April 15th, 2023 (209 show gap) in Mobile. Lastly, Strings broke out “Wild Bill Jones” toward the start of the second set, ahead of a “Heartbeat of America” which saw a nod to the Allman Brothers Band‘s “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”.
Related: Billy Strings Confirms Livestreams For Remaining 2025 Tour Dates
Check out some videos from Billy Strings’ first night in Huntsville by mike wallace. The band returns tonight, October 24th, and tomorrow before heading to Baltimore for its Meet Me At The Crypt Halloween show. Find Billy Strings tickets here and tune into the shows live on nugs. All Access subscribers can watch every remaining Billy Strings show of 2025 at no additional cost. Start streaming on nugs or sign up for a free trial here. [Editor’s Note: Live For Live Music is a nugs affiliate. Ordering your nugs subscription or purchasing a download via the links on this page helps support our coverage of the world of live music. Thank you for reading!]
Billy Strings — “Alabama Bound” (John J. Puderer) — 10/23/25
Setlist: Billy Strings | Orion Amphitheater | Huntsville, AL | 10/23/25
Set One: Long Forgotten Dream, While I’m Waiting Here > Pyramid Country > Ridin’ That Midnight Train (Ralph Stanley), Love and Regret, Hellbender, Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power) (Bob Dylan) [1], Alabama Bound (John J. Puderer) [2], My Alice, Hide and Seek
Set Two: Secrets, Wild Bill Jones (Traditional) [3], Heartbeat Of America [4], In The Morning Light, Dusty Miller (Traditional) > Must Be Seven > Psycho (Leon Payne) > Meet Me At The Creek, Don’t Let the Sunshine Fool Ya (Townes Van Zandt), Seven Weeks in County
Encore: I’m a Natural Born Gamblin’ Man (Tex Atchison & Merle Travis), Happy Hollow
[1] Last Time Played 2025-03-01 | 59 show gap
[2] Last Time Played 2023-04-15 | 209 show gap
[3] Last Time Played 2025-04-03 | 57 show gap
[4] “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” (The Allman Brothers Band) tease
Train songs: 1