After kicking it in the lot with fans and debuting songs by Tony Rice and Townes Van Zandt on the first night of his New Year’s run at New Orleans’ UNO Lakefront Arena, Billy Strings paid tribute to Blind Melon with a cover of “No Rain” and celebrated John Hartford‘s birthday on Monday for night two.
The band leaned on original material for most of the first set, opening with “Malfunction Junction” into “Know It All” followed by “Fire Line” before reaching the “End of the Rainbow” by Wake Frankfield, the first cover of the night, which featured a tease of the Inspector Gadget theme. The subsequent string of originals included some on-theme gambling references, beginning with “Dealing Despair” and concluding with “Roving Gambler”, with “Seney Stretch”, “Don’t Be Calling Me (At 4am)”, and “Heartbeat of America” tucked in the middle. The first frame finished with a medley of covers in honor of bluegrass legend John Hartford’s birthday.
Billy Strings – “Vamp in the Middle” (John Hartford) > “All Fall Down” (John Hartford) > “Way Down the River Road” (John Hartford) – 12/30/24
[Video: Fred Ramadan]
Busting into set two with “Hellbender” and “Dust in a Baggie”, the band made another reference to the run’s gambling theme with the first cover of the set, “Going to the Races” by Carter Stanley. Then, after a few more originals (“This Ole World”, “Love and Regret”, “Cabin Song”, and “Escanaba”) and the traditional “Red Rocking Chair”, one of the night’s major highlights arrived with the debut of Blind Melon’s “No Rain”.
Blind Melon has deep connections to the city of New Orleans, having recorded its second album, Soup, at Kingsway Studios. The band played its final New Orleans show at the very same arena and was scheduled to perform at Tipitina’s the day after singer Shannon Hoon tragically died on his tour bus at just 28. Billy channeled the late, great frontman as thousands of fans sang along. The crowd then erupted as the band transitioned into “Guild the Lily”, which has been a vehicle for standout jams at recent shows—a reputation to which this version lived up.
Billy Strings – “No Rain” (Blind Melon) > “Gild The Lily” – 12/30/24
[Video: Billy the Kid]
Another highlight of the night, “Sophronie” by Jimmy Martin, came next before a second nod to John Hartford in the form of “Steam Powered Aeroplane” featuring Billy Failing on lead vocals and a set-closing “Hide and Seek”. Returning for the encore, the band gathered around a single mic for “Richard Petty”, which got a huge crowd reaction, and Bill Monroe‘s “Uncle Pen”.
Click below to check out videos from night two of Billy Strings’ New Year’s run at New Orleans’ UNO Lakefront Arena. Scroll down for the full setlist. Find tickets for New Year’s Eve on Ticketmaster, Stubhub, or CashOrTrade, and find out how to stream the show here.
Billy Strings – “Malfunction Junction” > “Know It All”, “Fire Line” – 12/30/24
Billy Strings – “End Of The Rainbow” (Frank Wakefield) > “Dealing Despair” – 12/30/24
[Video: Todd Neal]
Setlist [via bmfsdb]: Billy Strings | UNO Lakefront Arena | New Orleans, LA | 12/30/24
Set 1: Malfunction Junction > Know It All, Fire Line > End of the Rainbow (Frank Wakefield) > Dealing Despair, Seney Stretch, Don’t Be Calling Me (At 4am), Heartbeat of America, Roving Gambler (Traditional), With a Vamp in the Middle (John Hartford) > All Fall Down (John Hartford) > Way Down the River Road (John Hartford)
Set 2: Hellbender, Dust in a Baggie (Billy Strings & Don Julin) > Going to the Races (Carter Stanley), This Old World, Red Rocking Chair ([traditional]), Love and Regret, Cabin Song, Escanaba, No Rain (Blind Melon) > Gild the Lily, Sophronie (Jimmy Martin), Steam Powered Aereo Plane (John Hartford), Hide and Seek
Encore: Richard Petty, Uncle Pen (Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys)
