The King of psychedelic jamgrass Billy Strings took his rightful place on the throne with his third and final Away From The Shire concert in Asheville on Monday. For the Halloween night culmination of the Lord of the Rings run, Billy delivered an electrifying performance filled with classic rock favorites to complete J.R.R. Tolkien‘s epic trilogy.
As fans filed into the ExploreAsheville.com Arena, which even the local population must admit is getting too small for the perpetually rising guitarist, the drum kit seated onstage gave a clue that there was something special in store. Rumors circulated of a Les Claypool sit-in as well as Jimmy Herring, but those who said the latter were in the right church, wrong pew.
Gollum (Rushad Eggleston) welcomed fans to the show with the origin story of how he went from Sméagol to the twisted creature before them. The animated cellist was easily one of the breakout stars of the run, and he soon made way for our heroes Frodo Baggins (Billy Strings), Aragorn (Billy Failing), Gandalf (Royal Masat), Legolas (Alex Hargreaves), and Éowyn (Anh Phung), joined by the fiery dwarf Gimli (Duane Trucks). Rather than their typical armory, Billy Baggins and Gandalf were armed with electric weapons, while Aragorn wielded an acoustic guitar.
As the opening patter of drums and gentle acoustic guitar of Led Zeppelin‘s “Ramble On” filled the arena, the last leg of the journey had officially begun as Jimmy Page‘s riffs boomed through the building via Billy’s Les Paul. The show would alternate between acoustic and electric on a nearly song-by-song basis, with Gimli remaining on drums throughout. During the acoustic bluegrass numbers, he kept a low beat that was hardly noticeable at times. During the electric songs, he was a force to be reckoned with.
The protagonists alternated between classic rock favorites by Black Sabbath (“The Wizard”, aided by crowd surfing) and Jimi Hendrix (“Fire”, complete with teeth guitar playing) alongside bluegrass staples like “Ready For The Times To Get Better”, “Walk On Boy”, and “Lamp Lighting in the Valley”. Monday’s show was the perfect balance of a swift-moving plot that savored every moment of musical ecstasy.
Strings even put a new twist on one of his own songs by staying plugged in for “Leaders”. The Renewal deep cut that drags its feet on the album was instead given a strong pair of legs by Billy’s electric guitar and Duane’s drums, with Gollum propelling a brisk jam. After lamenting that “Sauron Is A Highway”, the opening lines of Widespread Panic‘s “All Time Low” crashed through the PA like shattered glass to end the first set with a roar.
For the sixth and final set of the Halloween run, the story resumed as Frodo was temporarily paralyzed by Shelob’s venom. Billy, who unfortunately was not tied up in a spider web, personified this as he changed “Mother’s Not Dead” to “Frodo’s Not Dead”. The group remained acoustic through tellings of “Know It All”, “Hellbender”, and the traditional “Soldier’s Joy” before dishing out more Led for our heads with “The Battle of Evermore”. The soft Led Zeppelin IV track saw Éowyn put down her flute to back up Billy on vocals, further deepening their musical simpatico that was ever-present throughout the run.
Gandalf was conspicuously absent for “Evermore”, but returned with an electric bass for a smoldering “War Pigs” as the last battle of the franchise raged on. The smoke cleared as the band performed Pink Floyd‘s peaceful “Fearless” while Frodo and Samwise (and Gollum) neared the lava of Mount Doom with “Fire Line” and “The Fire On My Tongue”, marking the climax of the series as the One Ring was finally destroyed along with Gollum.
With the battle over and the quest complete, it was time for Aragorn to take his place as king. Billy anointed him with a “Crown Of Thorns” as white balloons fell from the ceiling and confetti joyously shot from cannons. Finally, it was time for the Hobbits to begin their “Long Journey Home”.
The brief encore break afforded Billy the chance to make a wardrobe change, and he returned donning his retro sunglasses and shouldering his electric Casio DG-20. Rather than playing the Beverly Hills Cop theme, Strings instead fired off an electric remix of the Lord of the Rings theme music he dubbed “Lord of the Rings 3000”. With the electric instrument and Trucks’ disco drumming, it felt for one brief moment like a jamtronic concert instead of a bluegrass journey to Mount Doom. As the sun set behind our heroes, they journeyed over the horizon with “A Walking Song”. When the credits began rolling, Billy remained center stage and gazed out at the roaring sold-out crowd, who rained cheers down upon him as if he had saved Middle Earth himself. The quest was finished.
Billy Strings returns to the road on November 3rd in Kalamazoo, MI before heading back to Europe in late November and early December. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit his website. Revisit Live For Live Music‘s coverage of nights one and two of Billy Stings’ Away From The Shire run.
Billy Strings – ExploreAsheville.com Arena – Asheville, NC – 10/31/22 – Full Audio
[Audio: SoundSpliff]
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Setlist: Billy Strings | ExploreAsheville.com Arena | Asheville, NC | 10/31/22
Set One: Smeagol’s Metamorphosis [1] [2], Ramble On [3] [4], Highway Hypnosis [5], The Wizard [6] [7], Ready For The Times To Get Better [5], Fire [8], Walk On Boy [9], Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley [9], Leaders [10], Sorrow Is A Highway [11] [12], All Time Low [11]
Set Two: Mother’s Not Dead [9] [13], Know It All [9], Hellbender [9], Dealing Despair [9], Soldier’s Joy [14], The Battle of Evermore [14] [15] [16], War Pigs [7] [17], Fearless [18], Fire Line, The Fire On My Tongue, Crown Of Thorns [9], Long Journey Home [9]
Encore: Lord Of The Rings 3000 [19], A Walking Song [11]
[1] FTP
[2] Rushad Eggleston (Gollum) on cello and kazoo
[3] FTP- Led Zepplin
[4] Billy Strings (Frodo) on electric guitar, Billy Failing on acoustic guitar, Royal Masat on electric bass, Duane Trucks on drums, Anh Phung on flute
[5] Anh Phung on flute, Duane Trucks on drums
[6] Billy Strings on electric guitar, Royal Masat on electric bass, Anh Phung on flute, Duane Trucks on drums
[7] FTP- Black Sabbath
[8] With Billy Strings on electric guitar, Royal Masat on electric bass, Duane Trucks on drums
[9] Duane Trucks on drums
[10] Billy Strings on electric guitar, Anh Phung on flute, Rushad Eggleston on cello, Duane Trucks on drums
[11] Anh Phung on flute, Rushad Eggleston on cello, Duane Trucks on drums
[12] “Sauron Is A Highway”
[13] “Frodo’s Not Dead”
[14] Rushad Eggleston on cello, Duane Trucks on drums
[15] Billy Strings and Anh Phung on vocals
[16] Royal (Gandalf) not on stage
[17] Billy Strings on electric guitar, Royal Masat on electric bass, Rushad Eggleston on cello, Duane Trucks on drum
[18] Royal Masat on electric bass, Rushad Eggleston on cello, Duane Trucks on drum
[19] Billy Strings on Casio DG-20 , Anh Phung on flute, Rushad Eggleston on cello, Duane Trucks on drums